The 100th Annual Hunger Games
by Zulera301
Summary: "To remind the districts that it is because of their so-called 'heroes' that the Dark Days were allowed to happen…" The Capitol announced that this year there would be 48 tributes reaped for the Games: 24 of them would be reaped from the pool of existing victors, and the remaining 24 would be hand-picked by these victors. But what if the Districts have finally been pushed enough?
1. Chapter 1: The Seeds are Sown

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _What better way to kick off a new month than to kick it off with a new fanfic? Welcome one and all, to the 100th Annual Hunger Games-the sadistic new Quarter Quell that brings familiar twists from earlier games back into one. Those familiar with my "Fire Without a Spark" series will recognize a handful of the characters and victors. A few, such as the ones between the 94th and 99th Hunger Games, also show their faces. We will hear their stories sooner or later, but with the last Mockingjay film on the horizon, what better way to get into the mood than writing about a rebellion-inducing Quarter Quell?_  
 _On the other hand, this is also an independent work. You do not need to know the backgrounds of any of the characters to know what is going on here-just know that the Capitol is pulling out all the stops for their centennial celebration of the Hunger Games, and this is the result._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 1: The Seeds are Sown**

Of the many places in Panem where schemes were born, District 8 was one of the epicenters. The Victor Village in particular was one of them, where 7 of District 8's finest schemed against the Capitol on a semi-regular basis. They were cunning enough to know how their oppressors played, and more importantly, knew how to evade it.

Prominently among this village stood the DeSiete family, which had three generations of victors from the games. It had started over 50 years ago with the victory of Alice DeSiete during the 46th Hunger Games. He had managed to outsmart the Capitol who had worked tirelessly to kill his partner, an openly vocal rebel named Paige Alwin. Ever since then, he had used that name as a subtle reminder to people of his district that this rebellion thing was not going to die out, and that the Capitol could not have control over them forever.

Years later during the 73rd Annual Hunger Games, Alice's eldest daughter, whom he had named Paige after this selfsame hero from his day, was chosen for the games. Just like her father, she managed to crawl out alive and received similar threats and scrutiny.

Thus, when Paige's daughter Lyndis won the 99th Hunger Games the year before, it was a sensation for all of Panem to experience and celebrate. She was the first time a 3rd-generation victor had ever come back and won the games. Rumors had it that children of existing victors were chosen with higher odds, and some survived while others did not. Lyndis was successful just as her mother before her. It had also helped her cope a bit better, knowing that her mother and grandfather were both alive and able to speak to her about her traumas.

It did not put a damper on her bond with her little brother Nesara though, or on the relation Paige DeSiete had with her sister Hanna. If anything, their lives as victors brought the family close together.

District 8 was interesting like that. The textile workers, weavers, and designers may not have had the same level of savagery seen in Districts like '12 or '11 all the time, but they were staunchly rebellious, with the Peacekeepers patrolling the district having their work cut out for them.

Granted, the DeSiete family were not the only ones who brought home a victor's crown in District 8. Other recent victors included Cecelia Sanchez of the 57th Hunger Games and Connor McIrish of the 88th Hunger Games, both of whom sometimes joined the two DeSiete girls at one of their mansions for a game or two of cards.

"Two kings and a 7," Connor smirked, "your ass is mine, DeSiete."

"Come and get it," Lyndis taunted. "although I'm not sure what my mother would say."

"She's right there, isn't she?" Cecelia pointed out, "sometimes I wonder why I come here."  
"Because you love the gambling just as much as we do," Connor pointed out, "and because it's not like you've got anything better to spend your time and money on."  
"I'm a mother of three, if you recall." Cecelia reminded him.

"and they're all old enough to have kids of their own," Paige reminded her, "you've loosened up a bit in your older age."

"Don't take me lightly just because I've outlived you all," Cecelia smirked, "besides… I'll be taking your money now and putting it towards a new mantelpiece."

She threw her cards onto the table, revealing a straight sequence of spades. "Read 'em and weep."

The words 'shit', 'damn', and 'fuck' were instantly heard from Lyndis, Paige, and Connor respectively as they pushed the pile of money towards Cecelia's awaiting hands.

"Timing was nearly perfect too," Cecelia grunted, "That damn Quarter Quell is today."

"They managed to quell the riots," Connor noted as they stood up and prepared to make their way to the square. "but they aren't going to get away with this. Picking us victors was bad enough, but then also forcing us to choose 24 kids for them to send to their deaths? I hope Francisco and District 12 know what they're doing and make it happen soon. This is do or die."

"We know who our targets are though, right?" Lyndis nodded, "we aren't just going to pick the first kid we see, are we?"  
"Your granddad had his eyes on a boy named Jeremy Wilde," Connor noted, "and I think I know why."  
"And for the girls," Cecelia chipped in, "Paige and I were discussing the feasibility of a girl named Mara Cerulean. After much discussion, we agreed on her."  
"She's a good choice," Lyndis smirked, "again—hopefully the Mockingjay is in on this thing already, because we're setting up our district for them."

"Aye," Connor agreed, "anyways, we should get going before they bust in with Peacekeepers to come drag us out. We're too noticeable to be able to go missing."

Attendance was mandatory for these things, and those who were not eligible for the games were still required to watch it at their homes (or in the factories they worked at). Children over 12 were released from school early to make their way to the square in front of the Justice Building, except that this year the number of names in the glass bowls was very small—only having the names of the seven men and women that District 8 had produced as victors in the last 99 years.

Their bubbly, purple-haired escort Augusta stepped up onto the stage and gave her usual fanfare. The DeSietes, as well as Connor and Cecelia, had mixed feelings about this woman, for under that ditzy exterior, she actually had quite the mouth on her, and was notorious for her witty retorts. The two eldest victors, Challis and Woof, both sat quietly, hardly aware of what was going on, it seemed.

"…And now it is time to choose our victor-tributes for the 4th Quarter Quell," Augusta announced. "They will have the honor of representing District 8 in the 100th Annual Hunger Games! As usual, ladies first!"

The amount of suspense here was actually fairly minimal. It would be when the victors were forced to choose their tributes that breaths would be held, even if the victors of District 8 had already conspired to choose Mara and Jeremy.

A small slip of paper emerged from the bowl as Augusta opened it and read the name.

" _Lyndis DeSiete!"_

The young victor stepped up onto the stage without a drop of concern in her face. She had been on this very stage not but a year ago when her name was picked for the 99th Annual Hunger Games. She was fairly certain it had been rigged, but it didn't matter—she was the victor, and she was determined not to die this time. For a moment though, she wondered if she would have to pick her tribute first or if the male victor would be chosen first. She learned a moment later.

" _And now… for the boys…"_ Augusta's hand swirled around the three slips of paper in the bowl for a bit of dramatic effect before reading out:

" _Connor McIrish!"_  
Connor smirked as he joined Lyndis on the stage. He leaned over to Lyndis to whisper something into her ear. "Play it slowly," he warned, "don't announce her name right away or they might suspect something. Remember—Snow is watching this too."  
"Not a problem," Lyndis nodded.

"And now…" Augusta announced, "Lyndis DeSiete will choose another fine young lady to join her as a tribute for the Quarter Quell!"

Lyndis was given a list of children's names, with a small photo of each one next to their name. She thumbed through the leaflet, pretending to read it before she announced her "victim".

" _Mara Cerulean!"_ she called out.

Mara was in on the scheme just as well as the victors were, and so while others around her gasped, a smirk appeared on Mara's face as she joined the others. As soon as she was facing the cameras again her face became stoic.

"And now…" Augusta repeated, "Connor McIrish will choose another fine young man to join him as a tribute for the Quarter Quell!"  
Connor was fairly certain that this woman read this crap right off the card, but he decided not to think much about it, and instead scanned his list for a few moments before announcing his choice.

" _Jeremy Wilde!"_

Like Mara before him, Jeremy knew what he was in for, and so he strode up with a smirk and then a stoic expression as he joined Mara, Lyndis, and Connor up on the stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen…" Augusta's tone became almost irritably sweet, "Our heroes for the 4th Quarter Quell: Victors Lyndis DeSiete and Connor McIrish… and tributes Mara Cerulean and Jeremy Wilde! Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

It was here that Cecelia waved off Alice and Paige as they joined the four tributes inside the Justice Building. Alice seemed to want a word with her as the tributes said goodbye.

"It's up to you and the rest of my family to keep things in order back here," he warned, "watch for signs given during the various ceremonies. My kids should know what to do, and we'll keep in touch"  
"But of course," Cecelia reminded him, "I'm just as much a victor as you, Alice. I know what it's like, and I know how to fight. Most people in District 8 do—that's why we usually escape the bloodbath. I promise you this—there will be rioting and warfare before any of you enter the arena—but you didn't hear it from me." She winked, and with that, bade Alice and the others goodbye. They boarded the train with Augusta before settling in and getting comfortable. Only after Augusta left to do whatever business she was attending to did any of them speak.

"So run us through the plan again," Jeremy requested. "I feel like we didn't quite get every piece of the puzzle the first time we talked."

"The plan," Alice began, "starts with Korra Francisco from District 2, and the District 12 Escort, Junichi Thatch. Junichi's brother Delun runs the reaping for District 2, and since they couldn't volunteer, he had to rig the reaping to ensure that Korra did not get picked…" he paused, flipping on the television and switching to reruns of the recent District 2 reapings, where Katsuo Raiden and Kaede Raiden, sibling victors of back-to-back Hunger Games, were chosen. Amy Zavala and Korra Francisco elected to be the 'mentors', while Katsuo chose Zoram Michelli for his tribute, and Kaede chose a girl named Zerlinda Franz. Despite being from Panem's most loyal district, all of the District 2 team, including the escort, seemed a bit different than the usual rabble of careers to spawn from that district.

"If I didn't know better," Mara commented, "I'd say that they're just as aware of the scheme as we are."

"That's why we showed you District 2's reapings," Paige assured them, "we've got the most loyal-to-the-Capitol District on our side already. With them confirmed to be in on this rebellion, we've got a valuable ally. Couple that with districts like 12, 11, and 3 almost for sure being on our sides, and we've got a substantial thing going here. I'm sure the other districts will follow suit soon enough."  
"In the meantime though," Alice stretched, "get comfortable. We've got a long ride ahead of us…"


	2. Chapter 2: The Capitol's New Face

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _much like my other fics, the first chapter was something of a setup as we move in to focus on a handful of other heroes, and get to experience a few changes to the Panem we so know and love. Assuredly, Zelda and Roy are not just nameless fodder characters sent to die in the opening seconds of the first battle either, so keep that in mind._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 2: The Capitol's New Face**

District 9 was not exactly known for its vast pool of victors—quite the opposite in fact. Maybe due to the rampant alcoholism that came from beer manufacturing (a byproduct of grain, after all), or maybe it was just bad luck of being outmuscled by the career districts and outmaneuvered by their fellows in Districts 11 and 12, but whatever the case, the three victors that called District 9 their home were a hardy bunch. The only ones with a similarly abysmal record was District 10, also with three victors. Their neighbors in '11 had three times that many; and '12 had produced three new victors in less than 25 years.

And thus Olivia Thurman, Marian Greene, and Carver Tabris were slightly embittered old folks who watched their tributes become corpses year after year. Similar to the plight of District 12 before Katniss Everdeen, it wasn't even that they were always bloodbath fodder—they sometimes placed high, but that had not happened in years either—not since the 94th and 98th Hunger Games anyways. Fortunately they were not the only underdogs. Their neighbors over in District 10 were not much more successful either, although they had their victors and memorable tributes just as well. Memorable figures could come from anywhere.

This year would be different from the normal Hunger Games though—the 4th Quarter Quell was approaching, and thus also was President Snow's announcement of the rule change. The 1st one had forced the districts to choose their own tributes—a reminder that this was the fault of the rebels in the first place; the 2nd one had thrown 48 tributes into the arena instead of the usual 24—to remind the districts that for every Capitol soldier killed, two rebels had died. The 3rd one had upped the age range of tributes from 17-25, as a cruel reminder that you were never too old for the games, or safe from the Capitol's wrath should you incur it. What sort of sadistic thing would Snow and the Capitol come up with next? Only time would tell.

And thus, when the day of the announcement came, Panem held its breath as the entire citizenry viewed the mandatory showing of President Coriolanus Snow. However, he made a peculiar announcement instead of the quell change at first.

"This year," he began, "will mark the beginning of a new regime. As you all know, Ms. Romula Snow was sworn into office but a few months ago. As such, she will be presiding over this Quarter Quell."

And sure enough, a few moments later, Romula Snow appeared on screen, announcing the rule change.

" _This year's Quarter Quell will provide a very special change of rules."_ she began after a lengthy speech about Panem and the Dark Days, _"This year… to remind the districts that it is because of their victors… these so-called "heroes" that they looked up to during the rebellion…"  
_ Nearly 100 victors across 12 districts held their breaths. There had been rumors circulating of a Hunger Games that would draw its tributes from the pool of past victors, but no one had ever taken it seriously for the longest time. Now though, it seemed like they were coming face to face with the day of reckoning. The victors were going back.

"… _there will be twice the usual number of tributes reaped this year."_  
There was an almost universal silence. Was it merely a repeat of the 2nd Quarter Quell? Could the Capitol do that? Everyone supposed they could, but that seemed silly. How could…

" _24 of these tributes will be chosen from the pool of previous victors…"_ Snow's announcement continued. There it was, and there was loud, obtrusive profanity being screamed from victor villages across the country. 24 powerful trained killers against 24 regular kids? Those poor children wouldn't stand a chance.

But just as they thought it couldn't get any worse, it did.

"… _and the remaining 24… will be hand-picked by the chosen victors themselves."_

"NO!" Marian roared, throwing an enormous flask of beer through her television, smashing it instantly. Carver slammed his fist on a counter, furious in knowing that, as the only male victor from District 9, he would be going back to the arena for sure.

That was a level of sadism that many in the districts did not think was possible. Not only were the victors beloved citizens of the districts (for the most part, at least), but they were still dealing with traumas and horrors years, even decades, after their games. Now they would be force to pick two children that would almost certainly go to their deaths, possibly in the first day.

However… some districts did not take this lying down. Riots broke out in District 12, which actually required the Peacekeeper forces to send in reinforcement. Martial Law went into effect, and the mining district went quiet. Similarly, Districts 3, 8, and 11 suffered from near-identical issues, but the Capitol managed to handle them all fairly efficiently. Power was also cut in District 4, and while there was a brief spurt of anarchy, order was restored soon enough. It seemed that this pill was one that the oppressed districts of Panem were not just going to lay down and swallow.

Whatever the case, reaping day soon came upon them, and unlike the other times, this one was fairly grim-natured. People had mixed feelings about the victors right now, when usually they were fairly popular. To the common citizen, a Hunger Games victor was someone who had survived the adversity of the Capitol's sadistic games—a reminder that there was still strength to be had in the districts. However, to know that this time they would be choosing children to send to their deaths had people with mixed feelings. Fortunately, the victors were not without a plan.

It seemed to go unsaid that they would shoot for the strongest boys and girls in the hopes that they would stand a chance against enemy tributes, but at least three districts had other plans.

District 12 was unsurprisingly in on the plan, where victors Vigo Zakatau and Aveline Togisala got reaped from their pool of 4 remaining victors. This left Haymitch Abernathy and Katniss Everdeen as the mentors of the operation—a position they vowed to serve well in. Over in District 11, it was hardly any different when Eli Christiansen and Kozue Sowa were reaped. Both pairs of victors chose the strongest-looking kids from the ranks of tributes, and planned on cuing them in on what they had in mind when they reached the train.

Oddly enough, the third district to plan like this was District 9, of all places. As their escort Hera finished the usual speeches, videos, and propaganda that the districts saw year after year, she delved her hand into the bowl of ladies' names—all two of them.

" _Marian Greene!"_

A middle-aged woman in her late 40s stepped forward, sighing in relief that she was picked instead of Ann. Olivia Thurman had been the first victor from District 9, over 75 years ago, and so given how ancient she was today, her odds of surviving more than a few seconds, Marian felt, would be minimal.

Carver, the remaining victor, almost didn't even wait for Hera to call his name before stepping forward. Sure enough, as he nearly reached the stage, he heard:

" _Carver Tabris!"_

Normally this would be where the reapings ended, except that this time, the victors were both given sheets of paper—lists of the boys and girls eligible to be chosen for this death game.

"And now…" came Hera's voice, "Marian will select a fine young lady to represent District 9 in the 4th Quarter Quell—and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

There was an almost deathly silence as Marian scanned the list, looking for a girl that looked tough and perhaps even a little imposing. After a few minutes of unintended suspense, she made her decision, calling out the name of her tribute of choice.

" _Zelda Alto!"_

A pale, surly woman with long brown hair stepped forward, looking unsurprisingly angry. She did not say anything to Marian, nor read the apologetic guilt that spread across her visage. She certainly did not want to choose this young woman and send her to her death—she had no choice.

Carver's tribute was not too much different. His expression was much more stoic, but once he had found a promising individual, he called out the boy's name.

" _Roy Keaton!"_

Roy stumped up to the stage looking just as grim as his partner, his fluffy, spiky hair bouncing with each heavy step he took. Silence reigned once again after the tributes were announced. Needless to say, literally no one in District 9 was happy with this development.

"Ladies and Gentlemen…" an utterly oblivious Hera announced, "Our heroes for the Quarter Quell: Victors Marian Greene and Carver Tabris… and tributes Zelda Alto and Roy Keaton! Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

Incidentally, Roy, Zelda, Carver, and Marian were joined by Olivia in the Justice Building before being escorted onto the train. All of them were fairly quiet before finally settling in. Hera seemed overly excited for the Quarter Quell, but the four disgruntled District 9 tributes were naturally unhappy. However, it was only after she moved to a different compartment that they began speaking.

"I know you're probably angry at us," Carver explained, "but know that we did not choose you out of any personal grudge—but because we know that you're fighters."  
"And what does that have to do with it?" Roy piped up, "either way, three of us or probably all of us—will die out there."

"We don't exactly have the best record, I know," Marian nodded, "and it might be because we're all drunks—speaking of which, beer anyone?"  
The Grain district did have that little skeleton in their closet. Beer was a popular beverage around the district regardless of age, and many people, including in District 9 itself, attributed it to the reason they often fared so poorly in the games. Either way, all four tributes poured themselves glasses as Zelda popped a rather important question.

"So you were saying something before this," she pointed her eyes at Marian. "Let's hear it."

"We picked you two for a very specific purpose," Marian continued, "we wanted fighters—and you know why?"  
"If it doesn't have something to do with winning the games, I sure as hell don't." Zelda riposted.

"It doesn't," Carver all but interrupted her, lowering his voice. "because we're not going to that arena."

"Wait… what?" Roy and Zelda both gawked at the older tributes like slack-jawed idiots.

"We're going to fight back." Carver explained, "and we're not in on this alone…"


	3. Chapter 3: The Board is Set

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Obviously with the kind of stuff that's going to go down this year, there's going to have be a lot of necessary buildup. Similarly, since I don't imagine that Zelda and Roy are about to goo all RPG-mode and talk to every person they see, and so they can watch the reaping footage to get an idea of who-and what-they are up against this year. Yup, Zelda and Roy are going to be important-District 9's gonna play its part this year for sure._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 3: The Board is Set**

The revelation struck Zelda and Roy in a way that made them hardly believe what they had heard. They glanced around, but the only other person in the compartment was Olivia, and the elderly woman had not said a single thing the whole time. However, Carver's words seemed to be her cue.

"I watched the reapings from the other districts while Hera was in here flappin' her gums to y'all." she explained, "and I noticed a few peculiarities as I did so."  
"do you know any of the victors?" Zelda piped up,

"Sweetie, I'm one of the oldest victors left." Olivia retorted, "I know them all. It's the little tributes they've chosen that you want to watch out for. I don't think any victor wants to be scorned for being the one to pick a sickly weak little kid to join them in the arena."

"Then let's get started," Zelda ordered, "I want to know about this scheme going on."  
"Right then," Olivia smirked, turning on the television and flipping to the reapings for District 1. A large, well-dressed man and an equally tall but much more slender woman graced the stage as the victors.

"Lucas Drazen, District 1," she turned to the others as the man guffawed and pulled the Capitol escort into a huge hug before comically lifting her over his head for a moment. A bit of amused laughter erupted as the woman was set back down and straightened her wig and skirt. "friendly guy; good sense of humor too. He's a nice drinking buddy for anyone from District 9, as it stands. He might seem harmless, but he's still got a fighting spirit to him, so don't let his age fool you."  
"And what about that girl," Roy piped up, "she's rather cute."  
She was tall and slender, with long, golden curls extending past her waist. However, it was neither that nor her striking blue eyes that caught Roy's attention—but rather her stoic expression and pursed lips.

"Lux Calameda, District 1," Olivia explained, "pretty thing; she can't speak at all, but she's very expressive. I'm fairly certain she generally hates people, so she's one to watch out for. She was ruthless in her games 5 years ago and will most likely be the same way elsewhere. Coming along under the title of Mentor are siblings Cashmere and Gloss Ritchson, winner of back to back games a few decades ago. They've definitely still got a few years of fighting spirit left in them."  
"Who is that?" Roy asked, pointing to the screen where a messy young man with a quaint eye twitch stood and pointed to a name on a piece of paper, which the escort woman called out.

"Katsuo Raiden, District 2," Olivia frowned, "won the year right after his sister—both of them went crazy and were not even fit to be mentors. He volunteered to try and get a glimpse into the suffering of his sister, but unfortunately, fell into the same rut that she did."  
"And so I take it that that equally creepy girl next to him is that sister?" Zelda raised an eyebrow.

"Kaede Raiden, District 2," Olivia nodded, "so you would be correct. She was a prized fighter back in her day just as well—these two siblings won the 81st and 82nd Hunger Games back to back. Neither one of them likes talking much, but don't let their frightened demeanor fool you. They're killers to the core underneath all of that. Some tricks just don't die."

Carver and Marian stayed quiet as they knew what Olivia was about to mention next.

"It's the mentors from '2 you want to watch out for: Amy Zavala and Korra Francisco. Strange as it sounds… they're the ones that will probably orchestrate this revolution. Korra's got leadership skills that have united people across Panem over the last few years. Watch her closely."

The television flipped again to show a much more colorful district, although the people here appeared thinner and not as opulent—this was the Technology District, which explained why there were no glass bowls for the lottery that all non-career districts used. Instead, they used large digital screens for that purpose, which accomplished the same thing.

"Shigeru Lombardi, District 3," Olivia continued, watching the boy, "won a couple years ago if I recall, so I don't know him as well as some of the others. He's a clever little bastard though, and outsmarted the career tributes comparatively early. He seems to know his way around the outdoors, so don't doubt his survival skills either.

"Is that who I think it is?" Zelda's attention suddenly went to the girl, who was slightly older, but wore the same conniving smirk that a victor 20 years ago had worn.

"That's the one and only." Olivia smirked as well, "good eye, kid."  
"I'm not drunk all the time," Zelda protested.

"Ikki Ortolani, District 3," Olivia almost seemed to be deep in thought, "youngest victor ever—she won the games hardly a week after she turned 12, and is still the only one to ever win the games that was younger than 14½. Rumor has it that she's used the training center in the years since then, and that now not only can she fight, but she's still just as good at inventing deadly traps from sticks and scraps as she was in her games."

Olivia went on to describe the other victors as they showed up. District 4 produced Gill Wainright and Mandy Ikezhen, both of whom seemed to carry a laid-back and carefree attitude to themselves what with their postures and demeanors. Olivia warned that Mandy and her partner had both scored 12s in their games, but that despite it, they didn't really go on any killing rampages or even join the career pack at all. Their behavior had been erratic the whole time.

"If there's anyone that's hard to read—it's District 4." Olivia pointed out, "District 5 might be the most mysterious, but '4 has the people with the most unpredictable behavior."

Olivia's explanation went onto District 5 and District 6, the former of which produced victors Cadence Montoya and Bethany Shanza, and the latter of which bringing Shishio Meraxa and Meili Meisha to the table. She described Cadence as a blunt young man who was not afraid to do whatever he pleased; Bethany as a mellower woman who also did not say much; Shishio as a brilliant-minded (albeit drug-addled) boy with a knack for mechanics, and Meili as a tough bruiser despite her age.

District 7 brought forth Resin Balthezar and Kara Petersen, both of whom were slightly older and seemed more like war veterans than anything. District 8 produced Connor McIrish and Lyndis DeSiete, both of whom came from lines of rebellious families.

"Obviously, District 8 is in on this," Olivia informed the others, "much like District 12. Carver and Marian didn't choose you two to kill you—they chose you because you can fight."

The television switched to District 9, and Olivia just laughed. "you don't need to know anything about these clowns that you don't already know. '10 shouldn't be much different either." Both districts only had three victors, and while Olivia's comment towards Carver and Marian might have seemed rude, it was actually endearing—when one's victor pool was so small, it was easy to single out these local legends.

"Ah… now we're getting to the threats again," she shook her head as District 11 showed up on screen. The names that the two victor tributes read off sparked an intereste for Roy and Zelda, realizing that with names like "Josiah Flax" and "Amari Flax", that the two tributes were siblings.  
"Seems like District 11 is in on whatever this thing is you're all doing." Zelda quipped.

"Definitely," Olivia nodded. "And these victors might look young, but they're dangerous—especially since I heard that Zenzi Tallarico and Sagittaria Svenja are their mentors."  
"So who are they?" Roy pointed at the victors on the screen."  
"Kozue Sowa, District 11," Olivia explained, "won her games in a wild twist of events that turned her into a rather erratic figure, but like most kids from '11, she's as resilient as they come. She'll be hard to kill and easy to get struck by if you're not careful—but hopefully if she's in on what we're doing, killing her won't be a thing we have to worry about."  
"I'm more worried about the big guy next to her." Zelda pointed to the young man.

"Eli Christiansen, District 11," Olivia smirked, "beast of a man but he's got a heart of gold. He drinks a bit less than Lucas does, but otherwise they're fairly similar. He's a friendly guy too, actually. If you want to make allies, get these two on your side."

"And what about those two," The screen had changed again, and Roy was pointing to District 12, which practically seethed rebellion. It was clear that these tributes did not plan on letting themselves get dragged to the arena without at least a fight.

"Vigo Zakatau, District 12," Olivia nodded, "he's the boyfriend of that girl you see there—won his games a few years ago using typical underhanded cunning tricks that '12 is particularly famous for. He seems calm, but there's a fire in him that is all over those kids in their district. Mentors Katniss Everdeen and Haymitch Abernathy are going to make sure of that."  
"and that girl is…?" Zelda raised an eyebrow

"Aveline Togisala, District 12," Olivia sighed, "lost her brother to the games the same year she went in. She feels the same way about Vigo as he does to her, so they'll definitely be close—and be an asset if you wish to ally with them. Don't let her tiny size fool you. She's a killing machine."

"Looks like we've got our work cut out for us then," Roy frowned.

"Don't lose hope too quickly, kid," Carver reassured him, "we've got gusto this year that I haven't seen since my own games. District 9 isn't about to get pushed around this year. We're making sure of that."  
"And who is 'we', if I may ask?" Zelda raised an eyebrow.

"hmm… it's Olivia, you two, us two," Marian began, "…and 12 districts full of rebels."


	4. Chapter 4: The Revolutionaries

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Schemers of this rebellion have existed since long before even the 91st Hunger Games, but this is the year where they're all finally putting their plans into motion. District 9 might not seem like a very prominent target in the rebellion, but when they get awakened to this whole revolution thing, they're quick to jump on board. On the other hand, here we get to see how the normal "career districts" are handling this thing. This isn't Mockingjay or Catching Fire all over again; I'll say that much._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 4: The Revolutionaries**

Other than discussing the tributes and victors, there was not much else that was said or done on the train ride to the Capitol, and soon the District 9 team found themselves joining eleven other trains in the magnificent Capitol Train Station. It was much more packed than usual—Capitol citizens were thrilled to see their old heroic victors again, as well as the new tributes that they had picked.

Zelda and Roy found themselves exposed to throngs of cheering crowds, who seemed to have a bit more faith in District 9 than they usually did. It was a touch of reassurance, especially from a district that was known for its "cannon fodder" tributes, alongside District 10. Still, the tributes, as well as Marian, Carver, and Olivia, were all in on a much larger-scale operation.

"Now," Olivia pointed out as she and the others headed to one of the nearest elevators, "a couple people I want you to talk to sometime this evening are the mentors and victors from District 8. As I mentioned on the train, Lyndis is a 3rd-generation victor who is not here by coincidence. Her mother Paige and her grandfather Alice were both victors, and just as against this whole mess as she is."  
"And so what about Carver and Marian?" Zelda tilted her head, glancing at the two older victors on either side of her.

"I'll put them to use," Olivia put her hands together, leaning on her cane. "trust me on this. I know every single one of these victors better than most of them even know themselves. If you don't believe me, feel free to quiz me on anything you might want to know about them. I will know it—I am not shitting you."

Olivia was a mastermind then—that was useful news for Roy, who was already pondering things in his head. Zelda seemed to be on the same wavelength as him, and the synergy was so prominent in the two of them that it was almost tangible.

There was a surprising amount of socialization on the main floor this year, both by past victors and even by some of the tributes. The pair from District 1 were interacting with the victors as if they were victors themselves, and when they saw the young District 9 tributes approaching, the boy stepped aside to introduce himself.

"Looks like we've got a couple of fighters from '9 this year," he quipped; "that's a nice change;"

"Can't say I'd argue with that," Roy shrugged, "although I suppose you're here to make sure we die?"  
"What are you talking about?" The boy tilted his head.

"You careers are usually responsible for half of the outer districts' deaths." Roy clarified.

The District 1 boy looked around before leaning in. "not this year."

"This I've got to hear," Zelda raised her eyebrow.

"Lucius Banks, by the way," the bronze-skinned boy extended his hand, "and this is my partner, Lucina Aldrich." He pointed to the slender girl behind him, her fiery red curls making her stand out almost as much as Mandy Ikezhen from District 4.

"Lucius, Lucina, Lucas, and Lux," Zelda chortled, "that's kind of funny."

"It's also off-topic," Lucina interrupted, "What Lucas is saying is—is that we were not chosen the usual way careers are. How familiar are you with District 14?"

Zelda and Roy both tilted their heads. "There is no District 14—or 13, for that matter."

"District 14 is not a place," Lucius explained, pulling out a coin and slapping it into Zelda's palm, "it's an idea. It's an idea that the Capitol cannot destroy like they did with '13."

"are you guys saying you're…" Roy trailed off.

"Exactly." Lucina smirked, "Lux and Lucas are not exactly loyalists—and as such, they chose us based on our similar sentiments. Long story short—we're you're allies just as much as rebels like District 12 are."

"Speaking of which, who is in charge of this whole thing?" Roy asked. Knowing that District 1 of all places was also in on this gave her hope.

"Korra Francisco—the buff mentor girl from District 2." Lucius explained.

"District 2?" Zelda couldn't help but gawk, "this thing is being LED by someone from '2?"

"Let it sink in." Lucina quipped, "we've got people from District 2—the most Capitol-friendly district in Panem—not only in on the District 14 operation, but LEADING it."

It was at this moment that Zelda glanced at the coin Lucius had slapped into her palm, turning it over in her hands. On one side it depicted a seal with the silhouette of a woman's face on it, and on the back it bore a small Mockingjay image and the number 14.

"Who else is in on this thing then?" Zelda turned to Lucius.

"Almost everyone," the boy responded, "at least that I know. Katsuo and Kaede are following Amy and Korra's orders, and so naturally they chose tributes that are just as rebellious. Zoram and Zerlinda from District 2 are on our side too."  
"So we've got the career pack covered." Roy nodded, "who else?"  
"Right now, it's just '1, '2, '12, '11, and I guess '9 if you two are in on it." Lucina explained, "although I imagine that number could grow swiftly. We haven't talked to any of the others yet, but I don't imagine that many of them would oppose us if we had an alliance that had four of the strongest districts in on it. Besides… do you really think that districts like '3 and '8 are going to side against the rebels?"

"Point taken." Zelda and Roy both nodded as they approached an elevator to head up to the 9th floor. This was going to be an interesting and pivotal year in Panem's history and they knew it. The fact that they had Districts 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 11, and 12 guaranteed to be in on this operation made them both feel fairly certain that the other five districts were in on it as well.

"So…" Olivia smirked as the two tributes met up with her and the team at the apartment. Carver and Marian were still absent, but that might have also been explained by the lack of seeing any of the other past victors down on the main floor. "how did it go?"  
"The careers are in on this plan of yours." Roy blurted out.

"Oh, it's not my plan," Olivia chuckled, "granted, I damn well have the influence to be involved, but it's Korra's plan. I just happened to get verification from the victors of Districts 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 that they are joining this thing. No Tribute—victor or child—wants to go into that arena two weeks from now, and so we're working on a way to circumvent that."

"Where's Hera, by the way?" Zelda tilted her head. "She doesn't know about this does she?"  
"Right now, she doesn't even know where her clothes are," Olivia cackled, "but yeah—she's not exactly one to speak about it to. Most of the escorts are ditzy airheads as you surely know. Prime exceptions are the siblings Delun Frost and Junichi Thatch that work for Districts 2 and 12 respectively, although I am also pretty sure that the fellow from '6 and the lady from '11 might be aware of what's going on."

"and what happens if we fail?" Roy asked, "not to be grimly pessimistic here—but has anyone actually contemplated that success is not 100% assured?"  
"Then we die," Olivia shrugged, "so either we can turn against each other and kill each other and let the Hunger Games continue, or we can try to put an end to this madness and possibly all be able to crawl out of this mess alive."

"So do you know when we're going to make our move?" Zelda asked.

"Ha! Shit if I know!" Olivia laughed, "but I'll keep you posted. If you two think you're going to get out of being dressed in next to nothing as you're paraded for the entire Capitol to see… well, I've got bad news for you. Zelda, I hope you in particular aren't afraid of showing your legs."

"Not exactly the first thing I would have thought of," Zelda shrugged, grabbing a nearby beer bottle and taking a swig, "but I suppose getting dressed provocatively pales in comparison to the notion of being killed or having to kill my friends."  
"I'd say so." Olivia nodded, sitting back down. "Katór and Septus will be here any moment though, and so I wouldn't go too far.

"Like we have so many places to go right now," Zelda chuckled, flopping down onto the nearby sofa as Roy followed suit. "Fine, I'll suffer through this."  
"We'll do fine," Roy elbowed her, "I've gotta say though—your little revelation did a wonder on my morale just now. Do you think Carver and Marian will be pleased?"  
"Considering that I helped recruit them…" Olivia smirked, "they were ecstatic."

Zelda and Roy sat silently on the sofa as they waited for Katór and Septus, thoughts blazing through their minds. They wondered how this whole rebellion thing would play out without anyone getting caught or killed, and wondered what the others were scheming. They were eager for time to pass them by—because the sooner it did, the sooner they would be able to find out…


	5. Chapter 5: Heroes of the Past

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _The Chariot Parades are always interesting because it's one of the times tributes get to see each other up close and personal in a non-competitive and non-violent environment. Our little friends Roy and Zelda are about to find out just how wacky their competition is this year, and learn a bit more about the past victors that are here with them, for better or for worse._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 5: Heroes of the Past**

With their minds so deep in space, it did not take as long as they thought for Katór and Septus to arrive and introduce themselves. Roy and Zelda glanced them over as if to size them up. The man who introduced himself as Septus had long, flowing blue hair that matched some of the designs on his suit. Beneath his black vest and matching slacks he wore a white shirt with frills on the sleeves and collar, matching the grandiose style of accent he had. Almost in contrast, Katór was a woman whose blood-red hair was short and spiky, matching her shimmering form-hugging scarlet knee-length dress and heels. Her voice was very forward and blunt-sounding—definitely feminine, but with a powerful streak of ferocity in her that matched her colors.

"Zelda; Roy…" Olivia smirked, "Meet your stylists. You're in good hands—and if nothing else, you'll at least look good before you're carted off to the arena to die." She winked at them, indicating that the plan they had made on the train was still in effect. Roy thumbed towards the stylists as they came to escort the tributes down to the studios, and Olivia shrugged. This voiceless interaction was enough of a sign for them to know that Septus and Katór were neutral in this whole thing. If they had been loyal, they would have expected a headshake from Olivia, and a nod if they were rebels.

Roy and Zelda were admittedly slightly surprised when Katór took Roy while Zelda went with Septus., but when they asked about it, they received similar answers.

"You don't need to worry about a thing, kid," Katór chuckled, "I've seen it all before anyways. I'm here to clean you up and make you the most gorgeous damn kid in the Capitol tonight."

"You shall be a thing of magnificence!" Septus assured Zelda, "Sponsors will throw themselves at your feet, turning you into the best thing to come out of District 9 since Marian Greene!"

Roy and Zelda ignored most of the commentary as they were dressed up, knowing that they would be in for some fierce competition this year, considering that there were also 24 past victors involved, many of which knew the stylists personally from their own respective years.

By the time all was said and done, however, Zelda and Roy found themselves decked out in shimmering metallic-colored garments that reminded them of the amber waves of grain from back home. On their heads were golden tiaras made of what looked like golden grass, with dazzling wings on their backs and prop sickles in their hands. Perhaps District 9 would leave an impression after all.

As they stepped back out into the main chamber where the tributes gathered in preparation to board the chariots, Zelda noticed that only one pair of tributes were out and about, and they all looked young.

"Hey," she turned towards a scantily-dressed Lucina, wearing ribbons of azure around her chest and hips, matching glittery shoes, and long trailing sashes inlaid with sapphires, silver dust, and other precious gems and metal bits that very well might have been real.

"Well you certainly clean up nicely, '9," Lucina smirked, "and you actually get to wear clothes—lucky bastard. They haven't put a girl from District 1 in much more than smallclothes for decades."

"Can't really say they've ever needed to," Roy smirked, waggling his eyebrows. Surprisingly, Lucina chuckled and nodded in agreement.  
"Oh, I'm not saying I'm ashamed of anything I'm showing off," she bumped her hip against Zelda's, "but it can get a bit chilly when the only article of clothing you're wearing that you don't have to worry about slipping right off your form are the heels they strap to your feet. Also—I'm not sure why they dyed my hair silver…"  
"My guess is that those fiery locks of yours would have clashed rather nasty with those blues and azures," Lucius suggested. His outfit covered more than Lucina's (particularly around the legs, although much less around his chest), and was ironically a soft lavender color, but otherwise had a similar jewel-inlaid design that Lucina's did; Luxury district indeed.

"So I take it you intended to ask me something?" Lucina turned back to Zelda, "or were you just here to eye my rockin' figure?"

"If I were a guy I'd totally hit that," Zelda admitted flatly,

"I wouldn't let something like gender get in your way," Lucina teased, causing Zelda to flush a little.

"but no," she continued, reverting back to the subject at hand, "I was wondering if you knew where the victors were. It's just us tributes out here right now…"

"Well, that's an easy one," Lucina laughed, "the Capitol pulled out all the stops—these are all skilled veteran stylists, and so they didn't hire any new ones this year."  
"I don't follow." Zelda tilted her head.

"Man, Zelda—even I got that one," Roy chuckled, "She's saying that the victors are in the studios right now being cleaned up and dressed by the stylists. Thank goodness we didn't have to share a studio with them at the time, and since they're not out here waiting for us, I imagine that we went first."

"So until they show up, we just wait," Lucina added, glancing around from the black-clad stonemasons of District 2 to the red-clad "deities" from District 11 and the District 8 kids dressed in a rainbow of exotic colors. The stylists were certainly giving it their all this year.  
Sure enough though, a few minutes later the victors began emerging, dressed as glamourously and beautifully as any of the other tributes. A few of them socialized as they began to split up for the chariots, although a golden-haired District 1 woman and a red-haired District 5 man were seen rather shamelessly making out against a wall.

"No PDAs!" one of the others shouted. The man with the red curly hair quietly responded by lifting his middle finger before putting his arm back around the District 1 woman.

"You know anything about them?" Zelda tilted her head, turning to Lucina.

"Lux and Cadence are pretty much lovers," Lucina explained, "He met her during his District 1 stop of his victory tour, and then she won the very next year and met back up with him when she stopped in District 5. That's the story anyways. Be careful around them though—as fond as they are of each other, they don't really like anyone else."

A few moments later they straightened their costumes and stole one last kiss from each other. Cadence's cool black and green body suit (which did show off parts of his arms) was much easier for him to straighten than Lux's much less covering attire. The top flowed down to her waist in elegant little green and gold ribbons, while apart from a few ruffles and ribbons at her waist and the shoes on her feet, Lux's legs were entirely bare. They seemed to have a glossy shimmer to them that most of Lux's body appeared to have, adding to her flair. Zelda glanced at them with interest, and wondered how many other 'lovers' there were among the victors. A man from District 4 and a woman from District 11 seemed to be exchanging glances, and she noticed Vigo and Aveline, the victors from District 12, steal a kiss as they boarded their chariot.

The order was still the same as the anthem began to play. District 1 led the parade, with the chariot for the two victors trailing right behind it. Behind them were Zoram and Zerlinda from District 2, and then the two victors Katsuo and Kaede, both of whom had outfits that contained parts that covered their ears. Zelda and Roy were 17th in line, and they managed to generate considerable applause as they made their way towards the City Square and President Snow's balcony. The tributes and victors alike had varying expressions and thoughts, knowing that Coriolanus Snow would not be greeting them this year, as per his announcement prior to the reapings.

Sure enough, as the chariots formed a larger semicircle around the balcony and gazed up at the one who would speak to them from it, they found a sharply-dressed young woman gazing down at them instead of the old but familiar face of Coriolanus Snow.

"It pleases me that I, President Romula Snow, am able to preside over the magnificent Quarter Quell that we are now taking part in," she announced, "symbolizing a century of unity under the guiding hand of the Capitol—a century without war. Welcome, tributes—old and young—to the 100th Annual Hunger Games… and may the odds be *ever* in your favor…"

It was a slightly longer blurb than the Coriolanus ever had to say, but perhaps Romula was new to this, or had to saw a few extra words because of the Hunger Games centennial. Whatever the case, the horses knew their cue and they began turning away from the balcony and heading back to the nearby tribute tower. All along the line of tributes and victors was hushed whispering, much of it involving Romula and her remarks, and other bits and pieces being about certain tributes or their costumes. Most important for Zelda and Roy, however, was that they now knew the face of their enemy.


	6. Chapter 6: The Opening Game

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And given the nature of the quell, and how many rebels are among the tributes, it should hardly be a surprise that they are going to start scheming. The veteran tributes (victors) know this place well, and are quite skilled at pulling it off, and it seems that many of the "chosen" tributes were picked for a good reason. Their savviness could prove useful in the days to come._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 6: The Opening Game**

Roy and Zelda tried to listen in to some of the mutterings of the other tributes, particularly the victors, who had obviously been here many times before. If their objective failed and everyone was in fact sent to the arena, it was abundantly clear who would have the advantage, and who would be disadvantaged and likely killed off early.

Some older victors also merged into the scene, and they were discussing something about "Sowa" and "Wainright" stripping naked and streaking through the tower. Incidentally, the first people they turned to were Lux and Lucas, the victor-tributes from District 1.

"Wainright and Sowa…" the man pondered the two names a moment before nodding, "Oy! Kozue and Gill. They like to make with the naked running a lot. Others be betting on how many minutes it will take before they start with the undressing."

"They just strip down in front of everyone?" Zelda tilted her head.

"They do indeed," Lucas laughed, "Kozue is very pretty on eyes too. Lucas is straight man, but even Gill is no eyesore. Ha, ha!"

Neither Zelda nor Roy knew what to say to this, until they turned and saw a young but powerful-looking woman with a commanding aura to her. The solid stature, freckled face and long auburn hair were all dead giveaways for who this was—even District 9 recognized Korra Francisco.

"Can I help you?" the older girl asked, turning to Zelda and Roy. Her expression seemed more curious than anything, but there was something authoritative about the way she carried herself that even Roy could see in Korra's verdant green eyes.

"Of all the people around here," Roy noted, "I think you'd be the one that could actually help us the most. However, the subject that we are speaking of is a very sensitive one that should probably be taken privately."  
"I'm not sure how private someone from District 2 and District 9 could get around this place," Korra glanced around, "but if you need a distraction…"

"That could work," Roy nodded, "Obviously this is a little bit about life and death, and if the things I've heard from tributes from District 1 are true."

Korra snapped her fingers and got the attention of a black-haired girl with dark skin and red, metallic armor-like attire: Zerlinda Franz.

"Where's Amy?" She asked the girl, causing her to shrug.

"Need something," she asked in response.

"Actually…" Korra leaned in, whispering something about District 4 and District 11, causing Zerlinda to smirk from ear to ear.

"I'm on it, Commander." Zerlinda gave what was clearly a military salute before scampering off, still in full costume. Moments later, there were screams of laughter and cheering. A few of the tributes even seemed to be chanting the names "Wainright" and "Sowa", while others were chanting "89", or "90".

Unsurprisingly, Gill and Kozue were streaking through the building just as planned, but it caused the diversion Korra wanted, so she pulled the golden-clad District 9 pair aside.

"You want to know more about the plan we've got going on to prevent you from going to the arena, don't you?" Korra looked Zelda and Roy in the eyes. Both of them nodded, repeating to her what they had heard from the District 1 pair.

"Well, the rumors from Lucina and Lucius are true then," she nodded, "I'm kind of the leader of the operation, although I'm certainly not in it myself; heavens no. Most of the mentors from the other districts are helping me, and there are people in the different districts waiting for their cues."

"So what districts are in on it?" Zelda tilted her head to the left just slightly.

"'2 and '12 are leading it," Korra explained, "but '11, '1, '8, '3, '9, and '6 have gotten back to me about it. '5, '10, and '7 haven't said much, but Cadence has hinted that District 5 is on in it, the pair from District 7 were muttering something about me and my buddy Amy earlier, and I don't think District 10 is the type to argue much. That just leaves District 4, who is doing their own thing as usual."

"Well…" Roy glanced behind him, "you and your friends can apparently tell Gill to make a diversion whenever you please—maybe they just haven't said it outright."

"That's the common belief," Korra shook her head, "I don't know why District 4 hasn't come out and said it yet—it's like they're being annoyingly secretive on purpose."  
"Do you suppose they're actually loyalists trying to undermine this revolution?" Zelda whispered.

"It's actually a thought," a lower voice from behind Korra piped up. She revealed herself as a small, dark-skinned young lady with wild brown hair—this was Amy Zavala, the District 2 girl who had won the year before Korra.

"But," Amy continued, "we don't think so. We just have to keep that option on the table till we get it verified so we don't get stabbed in the back."

"So what's the plan from here?" Zelda raised her eyebrow, this time glancing at Amy, "I mean all this talk about unity is great and all, but it's not about to take the form of a hovercraft and haul us out of here before we get chucked into some wretched forsaken hellhole to murder each other with rusty spoons or something."

"speaking of hovercrafts…" Korra chuckled, "Shishio from '6 has that covered. I haven't gotten all the details from them yet, but Bethany from District 5 tells me that some of the older victors are up to something back in District 5. If it's what I think it is, then I hope you like the dark."  
"HA!" Roy smirked, "okay, so it may not be as elaborately complicated or immediate as I thought, but this suddenly sounds interesting."  
"Well don't go yappin' too much about it," Amy warned, "these next couple of weeks will seem like normal training, and should be treated as such. When something unusual happens, you will recognize it right away."

"What should we watch for?" Zelda asked.

"It'll be incredibly difficult to miss," Korra promised, before freezing. The commotion had died down, with a scantily-clad Gill returning to the crowds carrying a still stark-naked Kozue in his arms bridal style. The diversion had ended.

"…but we'll explain more later. Just know that we're on your side, okay?"  
"Got it," Roy nodded. "Just let us know if we can help."  
"Actually…" Amy raised a finger, "there might be something that a couple of kids from District 9 could do sooner or later—but not yet." She had seen Zelda about to open her mouth.

"The Capitol's eyes are on District 12. Districts like 9 and 6 often fall beneath the radar, and I think Korra could use this to her advantage. We'll see—but that's all we can really say."  
A few of the other curious tributes were glancing their way, including Lucina, Zoram, and Zerlinda. As Korra and Amy disappeared, Zelda and Roy found themselves being approached by the three careers.

"The two of you look so surprised," Zoram quipped, "is it suddenly so surprising that we don't want to off you in the opening seconds as the bloodbath fodder you are infamous for being?"  
"Oh, we're far more than that," Roy smirked in retort, "I'm not afraid of you."  
"There's no reason to be," Zoram put his arm around Roy, leaning against him, "remember—District 1 is in on this operation, and District 2 of all places is *leading* it. If that doesn't say where our allegiances lie, then I guess I'm plumb out of things to suggest."

"And what of the others?" Roy asked,

"They're in on it too, duh," Zerlinda quipped, "and those that aren't are probably getting talked to by Korra or by the other tributes. Don't worry, you guys—we're all in on this together—all 48 of us. We'll figure out more of this tomorrow though. we've got a full three weeks of training ahead of us."  
"Three weeks?!" Zelda gawked,

"Three weeks," Zerlinda smirked, "one of the Gamemakers apparently let it slip to Amy and Korra, and they told us right off the bat. I'm sure they'll announce it tomorrow."

Zelda and Roy parted ways with the others and headed back up to the 9th floor to discuss this with Olivia again. They wondered if Carver and Marian were in on everything that had been spoken about, but unfortunately, they were only found drinking when the younger tributes returned.

"Well that's an unsurprising sight." Zelda quipped.

"It's normal;" Olivia cackled, "but you two seem like you've been enlightened by something. Care to share it with an old woman?"

"How much do you know about Korra Francisco?" Roy asked.

"Everything," Olivia smirked, "child, when I said I knew every victor within these walls, I was not joking. I know of Korra's little operation, and I am one of the ringleaders of it. In fact, behind Korra herself, guess who is the ringleader?"  
"You?!" Zelda gawked, "but you're a crazy drunk old lady!"  
"Exactly," Olivia grinned, "which is why I'm perfect for the job. Korra needs someone that can think outside her boxes. I'm just the one to do it. But, like I'm sure others have already told you—get some rest. You can talk about it more in the morning."  
"How did—" Roy began,

"I know everything." Olivia winked. "Now off to bed with you. You've got a big day ahead of you tomorrow, especially if you're so keen on hearing more of the plan…"

"Fine, fine… we're going." Roy chuckled, elbowing Olivia as they passed. Both tributes retired early and fell asleep quickly, thoughts of escape and revolution swirling through their minds…


	7. Chapter 7: Romula Always Knows

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Apologies for the delay and lack of a chapter last week. My muse went on strike and no amount of Meat Lover's pizza, Sonic Boneless Buffalo Wings, or Vanilla Coke was able to change that. Anyways, this is one of the last chapters where we solely focus on the tributes in the training center. The next few chapters will likely take us to the various districts to see just what kind of rebellion these folks are cooking up. Some of the tributes seem particularly savvy regarding the going-ons of the districts, and that will play to their advantage, even if Romula knows. Romula always knows._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 7: Romula Always Knows**

The training center was going to be an interesting and exciting scene this year, what with 48 tributes occupying it, and also with 24 of them being veterans from past games that knew how to fight and kill like professionals. Coupled with the occasional appearance from a mentor or two, and it was going to be lively with activity over the next few weeks. Sure enough, Zerlinda's rumor about the tributes being given three weeks to train was completely true, with the announcement going out to anyone and everyone in the building. A large screen appeared in front of where the tributes had gathered, and on it appeared the face of Zurok Takamatzu, the head Gamemaker known for her tricky and nefarious arenas over the last 20 years. She was easy to spot, considering her pointed ears and the large white, feathered wings that appeared to be attached to her body. It was definitely one of the more extreme body modifications that the Capitol citizens put themselves through, but other than those three features, she looked fairly normal, with pale skin, jet-black hair, and shimmering amber eyes.

"Attention tributes," she smirked, "It is an honor for me to announce that because of the nature of this year's Quarter Quell, we as the Gamemakers have decided that it would be in our best interests to extent the usual training period of one week, lengthening it threefold. There will thus be Roy and Zelda were some of the first ones to the training center, and were in awe at all the facilities that stood in front of them.

It was almost twice the size it had been last year (at least, if Lyndis, the District 8 victor from the 99th Hunger Games, was telling the truth), and just like with any Quarter Quell, the equipment was state-of-the-art and brand new.

The first person Zelda wanted to seek out was Lucina, and she found the District 1 girl heading towards the archery station talking about her clothes.

"After last night it feels nice to actually be able to wear pants." She quipped.

"I dunno," her tribute partner Lucius joked, "I think you look better without them."

"She does," District 2's Zoram immediately agreed. "so does Lux."  
"There's a reason the stylists dress you the way they do, you know," Zerlinda added, "it's because every girl I've ever seen come from District 1 has the legs of a goddess. I'm just saying."

"Anyways," Zelda interjected, being bold enough to interrupt the careers' conversation, "the attractiveness of Lucina's legs aside, I'm curious about a thing or two."

"I'm not sure where you're getting the idea that I'm somehow the leader of any kind of operation," Lucina shrugged, "I'm just the girl that's about 3 steps from being prohibited from wearing pants. What do you need?"

"I was actually going to ask about the victors." Zelda explained as Roy joined her.

"What about them?" Lucina glanced towards one side of the training center, where the veteran tributes, as well as Amy Zavala and Korra Francisco, were training, "they're all nuts!"

The training center wasn't actually segregated, but the victors were mostly among themselves showing off or trying new tricks, while the other tributes, perhaps to not feel eclipsed in skill, were on the other side of the massive room. There were more than enough facilities for all of them either way.

"And yet I'm fairly certain that each of them is going to play a crucial role in getting us out of here…" Roy whispered. "Surge and Varsha are already over there talking to some of them."  
Before the others asked who Surge and Varsha were, Roy pointed to a brown-skinned pair of District 5 tributes that had gained an audience consisting of several of the victors.

"Well think about it," Lucina pointed out, grabbing a pair of axes before swinging wildly at holograms that were coming her way, "District 5 controls the power for most of the country excepting small parts of '3, '6, and '12. If anyone is going to be able to cause a diversion, it's them."  
"And they're so hard to predict," Lucius pointed out, "but I don't think that their tributes hold a strong loyalty to the Capitol considering that they don't even have '1 and '2 to back them this time."

"Don't worry though," Zerlinda pointed out, "I'm figuring out the patterns and methods of the Peacekeepers here. In the meantime, stay low, and learn some skills."  
"But we want to help," Roy asserted, "not just sit idly and hope that others can complete their part of the plans or something!"

"Then learn a skill or two," Zerlinda pointed out, lowering her voice. "this isn't just a revolution, kids—this is going to be a war. Do you really think the Capitol is going to sit idly by and let this happen? No. Romula is just as ruthless as her grandfather. She will strike and she will strike hard."  
"How old are you again?" Zelda looked at the smaller girl.

"15," Zerlinda shrugged, "but that's not the point. Look, '9—I'm from District 2, also known as the Capitol's Lapdog because of its staunch loyalty. That means that I see every Peacekeeper that comes in and out of our gates, and we get the visits from the Capitol officials all the time. I was at one of the academies when Romula Snow took her tour of Panem, and I got to meet her in person. She spoke to Korra—called her the Mockingjay. Romula has known Korra's identity as such for 7 years now."

"How much else does she know?" Zelda tilted her head.

"Odds are, she knows a lot," Zerlinda warned, "but she knows that if she strikes out against even District 12, that it would turn them into martyrs, and aggression would mount against the Capitol. No one is quite sure, but it seems like she's waiting for something to happen. The Peacekeepers are poised, ready to attack even in District 2, and so if they are doing it there, in their most loyal district, chances are they are waiting for similar things in other districts."  
Unbeknownst to Zerlinda, Districts 2, 8, 11, and 12 were the only ones that had this issue at the moment: the latter three because of their rebellious tendencies, and District 2 because of Korra and the movement that she had started.

"There wasn't anything like that in '9 when we left," Roy pointed out, "but maybe his is a recent development then?"

"Interesting," Zerlinda mused, "the problem now lies in the fact that so much it is out of our hands, and none of the districts can really communicate… except for through the mentors…"

Zerlinda suddenly looked like a lightbulb had just gone on in her mind.

"Talk to your mentor tonight, '9. She might have more to tell you than little ol' me, who is just a professional eavesdropper."  
"Got it," Roy nodded, and thus training resumed as normal. The tributes performed exceptionally well, as if the idea of the rebellion, and thus saving themselves from the treacheries of the arena, were invigorating them to new levels.

True to Zerlinda's words, Roy and Zelda talked to Olivia later that evening after the training had finished. Carver and Marian took a simple and unassuming path, getting drunk as usual. Whether it was an elaborate ruse or just them being stupid, Roy and Zelda didn't know. Whatever the case, it was clear that many of the young tributes—if not all of them—were on their side. Even if somehow all of these plans fell through and the Hunger Games continued, District 9 had made friends across the board. They would certainly not be fodder this year.

Incidentally, when they asked Olivia about the other mentors, she told them similar things to what Zerlinda had told them.

"Rumors have it that they're working on something in '5 where the Capitol wouldn't expect," she explained, "Romula is already suspicious of '2 because of Korra and her operatives, despite a vast majority of the district remaining staunchly loyal. If anything, that girl needs to make sure her efforts can spread to the other districts besides '8, '11, and '12. They are our strongest allies, but also the ones the Capitol is cracking down on the hardest. There is an obvious correlation here."

"Is there any word from back home?" Roy asked,

"Nothing yet," Olivia indicated, "but word on the streets is that people are drinking a lot less.

"Is the whole of Panem just going to rise up like that?" Zelda tilted her head.

"It's very possible," Olivia shook her head, "I wouldn't count on that level of coordination, but I can say this—be prepared. Train hard, and watch the others. They might act clueless, and might even be clueless, but when the time comes, they will act—and you will recognize the time when it comes just as well. You've only knocked out 1 day of training. There are still 20 more for you—and for the districts—to get their acts together."

It was this consoling knowledge that helped guide Roy and Zelda to sleep that night. While things at the training center may have seemed eventless in comparison, a rebellion was brewing, and many districts—particularly District 5—were crawling with action even now, as the tributes' training day came to a close…


	8. Chapter 8: The Shadows of District 5

**AUTHOR'S NOTES** : _Pardon my hiatus. I got all caught up in some original fiction works, and lost inspiration for a few of these stories for a while. However, fear not. I am not abandoning these stories. The going might be a little slower, but I never actually get writer's block. I'll just put down a few sentences at a time till it's ready to post. Whatever the case, the planning continues, and better yet, things actually start happening now. Just something to keep in mind._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 8: The Shadows of District 5**

The days of training wore on without much event apart from Zelda and Roy going out and learning every tribute and victor's name by the end of the 4th day. Even the victors from Districts 1 and 5 were in on it, which settled a lot of concerns. Normally District 2 would have been their biggest concern, but considering that Korra was the ringleader of the Tribute Rebellion and she was from District 2, it was clear that she had the support of the tributes and victors from District 2 alike.

The rest of the districts like '2 and '5, on the other hand, would be a much bigger fish to fry.

Fletch Crossley was a somewhat eccentric woman, or so most people assumed given her quiet and isolated life in the District 5 Victor Village. As the victor of the 32nd Hunger Games, she was now over 80 years old. On the other hand, she was part of Olivia's Inner Circle, which means she was keeping contact with her as well, giving her information on District 5, which Olivia was then passing to Korra. An allegiance between District 5 and District 9 seemed unlikely, but a conversation between them clarified most of it. Johnny Stallings, another victor from District 5 who accompanied Bethany and Cadence as one of their mentors, made this all possible. Communications between districts was strictly monitored and prohibited apart from the brief interactions tributes (and in this year's case, victors) had with each other during training. On the other hand, mentors could communicate with past victors back home, and while it was scant, this was all the communication they needed.

Originally even he was skeptical of why Fletch would want to tip off District 9 of all places first, but Fletch delivered.

"Think of it this way," she explained as Johnny watched the old woman's face on the screen twist up into a smirk, "District 9 has the lowest profile of any district in Panem. No one is going to suspect that they carry all of the information we need. Besides… Olivia's told you about how the kids this year are adamant about helping, right?"  
"If anything, it's hard to get those two to shut up about it," Johnny shook his head, "even Surge and Varsha are starting to wonder what those two are up to."

"District 9 can serve as our information brokers." Fletch explained, "the middlemen between the other districts. We all know Olivia Thurman, and she conveys everything to Roy and Zelda because they are low-profile. It's been almost three decades since '9 has produced a victor, and because they are so quiet and seemingly complacent, they are considered one of the most loyal districts behind the well-known loyal districts '5, '2, and '1. As such, that means…"

"…that the Capitol leaves them alone," Johnny mused, realizing what Fletch was onto. "but that's not the point—the point is that District 5 is on the move. The going is slow, and we've only got 17 days left to get the plan into action."  
"So what is the plan?" Johnny's eyes narrowed.

"We will put our plan into play when District 9 takes Caesar's Stage." Fletch indicated, "and so by the time Aveline from '12 finishes her interview, Panem will know exactly what we've done."  
"You may not survive, all things considering," Johnny warned.

"I would rather go down a hero than die in submission," Fletch declared, "The might of District 5 should be on the side of the Mockingjay who wishes to liberate us, rather than the Capitol that wishes to keep us enslaved. You should know this as well as I do, as a fellow victor."

"But of course," Johnny agreed. "Just keep me updated."

"Make sure you and the other mentors find a way out a day early if you can." Fletch warned, "when the lights go off, the whole place is going to go into lockdown mode. The tributes are going to be the ones that need to find a way out of there."  
"Word in the 'center says Shishio from '6 and Zerlinda from '2 are cooking something up," Johnny smirked. "Keep an eye on them, and hopefully they maintain a low profile…"

 _District 5…_

Technicians and electricians roamed the scape of Panem's most mysterious district, and unfortunately for the rebellion, many of them including the mayor, Isaak Brightz, were either loyalists, neutral, or just utterly indifferent, not wanting to mess with the status quo. These people were not the loyal career districts, but their loyalty remained strong enough for the Capitol to trust them with the generation of power and energy for almost the entirety of Panem.

The target then, was a massive dam operated by Silas and Vida Loka in the name of the Capitol. This facility, known as Coriolanus 10 (named after the former President Snow), was the largest producer of power in the district. Unsurprisingly, this was the plant that powered the Capitol. Backup and additional power was provided by Romula 1, a solar plant erected by and in honor of Coriolanus Snow's successor, his granddaughter Romula.

Coriolanus 10 was the dam that the Mockingjay Rebellion and 'District 14' had her eyes on, and luckily for her, she had an insider.

Silas and Vida's daughter, a woman named Holly, was one of the head forewomen of the labor and production in this dam, and she had been one that Fletch had been keeping in contact with as early as the 93rd Hunger Games after Korra's emergence as the victor.

It was evening when Holly's shift concluded. A man approached her that she only vaguely recognized.

"Sergi?" Holly tilted her head. "You're pretty far out from your maintenance zone aren't you?"

"Just here on business," he grunted, before slipping her a piece of paper. "This is for you."  
Before Holly could respond, Sergi had taken back off into the night. Holly unfolded the slip only to find a single line of text scribbled on it.

" _Meet me in the Victor Village at 2300 hours; 4_ _th_ _house on the left." ~F~_

Later in the evening, Holly made her way to the Victor Village. With 10 victors in the century-long history of the Hunger Games, District 5 was right up there behind only the career districts 1 and 2 in terms of number of victors. She turned to the left, approaching the door of the 4th mansion and knocking. Quietly, she was invited inside without another word. After the door closed behind them, she found herself in front of Sergi and an older woman she recognized as Fletch. Her mind immediately put two and two together.

"This is about the dam, isn't it?" She frowned; despite bring eager to hear what this was all about. Fletch smirked in response.

"But of course," the old woman put her hands together, "Sergi and his team will be performing a routine maintenance inspection and upkeep within a week's time, in preparation for the final day of the Tributes' training. Find anyone that can show up around midnight. We're going to the Hanging Tree."  
While the verse was not as popular out in District 5 as it was in rebellious districts like '8, '11, and '12, many of the rebels from other districts knew the words. Holly simply nodded, understanding exactly what Fletch meant.

"There will be casualties," she warned.

"And I'm willing to be one of them if it gets the agenda through," Fletch assured her, "Hopefully by that time '12 has done its part. Then all we need to worry about is getting the tributes out of there…"  
"And of course retribution," Holly pointed out, "I can take advantage of my parents for a while, but if they catch on, we're done for."  
"Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for the cause?" Sergi asked. "Because everyone from District 14 living in District 5 is otherwise willing to. This is going to be a tough nut to crack, and we're in the serious minority here. We're at a disadvantage here, but we're too important to leave behind."

"District 14 better have a plan then," Holly sighed, "I really don't want to die this early into the game…"

And 'District 14' did have a plan. As the weeks went on, Sergi and his crew did get to work on the Coriolanus 10 dam, making subtle changes here and there. They were not enough to disrupt the flow of anything, but he and his crew were setting it up for the rebels to attack it in the very near future. Holly's role was to ensure that all of his actions made it look official, as to not stir up any suspicion from Silas or Vida, or worse, from any of the Peacekeepers. Back in the Capitol, victor Amy Zavala was keeping close tabs on District 5 because of her parents, whose loyalty to the Capitol was not questioned, despite them not being terribly strict either. They were just maintaining the status quo. Amy hoped to be able to sway them in her favor, but her time was running out. Less than a week of training remained for the 48 tributes in the Capitol, and District 5 was preparing for the first decisive blow against the Capitol.


	9. Chapter 9: The District 12 Underground

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _As you all might have figured, the schedule for these fanfics is gone. It's not so much a matter of disinterest, as much as me just hitting several creative blocks on all my stories. Fear not, however. My interest remains high; I simply can't find out many of the words to say. That said, on a story-related note, I've always mentioned that District 12 is full of rebels. It's time to see them put that theory into practice. Also, a familiar face from the books is still around. You'll recognize him right away._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 9: The District 12 Underground**

As the Day of Reckoning approached, the tributes began to grow more anxious and wary of their surroundings. They all bonded fairly well together, particularly the two sets of sibling tributes from '11 and '12—Josiah and Amari Flax from District 11, and Maric and Malak Dragmire from District 12. True to Olivia's word, they developed a hardy friendship with Roy and Zelda, also sharing with them some valuable intelligence about District 12, which was where most of the rebels turned towards in hopes of kicking off this rebellion. The tribute tokens that the various kids and adults had taken with them would also come in handy later on.

"So…" Zelda turned to the District 12 twins at lunch. Only three days remained before private sessions, and then the interviews, where supposedly the rebellion efforts would kick off. "what's the word from District 12 so far?"

"Peacekeeper Thread is still being an ass," Malak explained, "not even our mom the mayor gets cut any slack. Word on the streets is that he's just going to have to be a casualty."  
"Which is a right tragedy," Maric rolled his eyes, "I'm sure thousands of us across '12 will be mourning his loss if he does become collateral."

"Anyways," Malak continued, "we've got Commander Gale Hawthorne working to arm the rebels of '12 and to help escort the children and the elderly into the tunnels. It's going to be a storm out there."  
"And so why are they only rebelling now?" Roy tilted his head, "if their population was small before, what makes today different?"  
"This time…" Maric explained, "it's a diversion. The real chaos is going to happen in District 5. So, what happens instead is that we turn the Capitol's eyes to District 12, and then to Districts 11 and 8, while District 5, normally one of their most loyal districts, makes an attack."  
"I'm not sure if that's bloody brilliant or if we're all doomed," Zelda was awestruck, "three more days to see if we make or break it them, huh?"

"Pretty much," Maric frowned, "Hopefully Gale and Naisha know what they're doing…"

 _District 12…_

Ever since Vigo, Ava, and the mayor's twin children had gone off to the Capitol to train for the games, District 12 had been alive with whispers of rebellion, and while where was plenty of planning and conversing, there was also plenty of preparation going down as well. However, as the days progressed, time got scarcer and scarcer. With the training days before the Quell drawing closer to an end, Gale Hawthorne and Naisha Togisala knew that they had to act quickly. As they continued to pass the word along to organize the district, they still found a few thorns in their sides, especially with Thread and his men. He had already proven that he did not care about the importance of victors and their families, and so they had to tread carefully around him. Even Lynn Dragmire, the mayor whose twin children had been sent to the games, was not immune.

The curfew didn't help things either, because they risked being shot if they were seen out late—anyone and everyone was. Perhaps that was also why it came to Naisha's great surprise when she got a knock on the door from someone that was not Gale.

It was a small, elderly woman.

"Hello?" Naisha raised an eyebrow,  
"Eylo," the old woman cackled in a low but thick country accent.

"Um… who are you, exactly?" Naisha did not recognize the woman at all.

"y'all might've heard of me, or maybe I'm a bit before your time." The elderly lady shrugged, "But anyhoo, Th'name's Laurel—Laurel Fox."  
"THE Laurel Fox?" Naisha exclaimed, "The Quell victor?"  
"Victor of the 25th Annual Hunger Games in the flesh," Laurel beamed.

"how?!" Naisha exclaimed, "Where have you been all these years?"

She immediately invited the elderly woman in and called Gale, telling him to come over as well. He was equally shocked to see her.

"So I heard you two are hoping to cause a diversion before the Hunger Games start so that you can save your friends, is it?" Laurel quipped, "I suppose I could give you all the fancy talk about where I came from and how I got here, but that ain't important. Some skills that you learn in the Hunger Games really don't ever leave ya, kiddos."

"But seriously," Naisha interjected, "how DID you get here?"  
"The same way I got out!" Laurel cackled, "Slipped through a gap in the fence and ran all the way to '13. I've been living there for about the last 40 years now, and so I know what they're capable of."  
"And what do they want?" Gale asked, "We've all been taught that they were annihilated. What are they capable of, and what are they doing? What kind of military power do they have?"  
"They…" Laurel put her hands together, "are planning to take over District 12."  
"So they're just another Capitol then," Naisha scoffed in disgust.

"Not even close," Laurel corrected her, "they want to take it over to break it from the Capitol's rule. Even a district as small and otherwise insignificant as this one would still get the regime's attention. '12 needs to start hunkering down because we are basically going to be throwing rocks at a tracker-jacker nest here. Their retribution will be fierce, and war will be inevitable."  
"Is there any way to avoid war?" Naisha asked, "Other than compliance, I mean."

"So far all sources point to the negative," Laurel indicated, "I don't think you want to lose your 2nd child to the games, and so we're going to do what we can to save them—and thousands of other children across Panem."

"So what are our options?" Gale asked, "and our resources?"  
"I'm in contact with District 13," Laurel reaffirmed, "they're actually really close. One of the old mineshafts leads right to a camp of theirs. Similarly, we've got connections with operatives in every district except District 4 that will do what they can in their districts."  
Gale and Naisha were both slightly curious as to why there was no connection to District 4 during all of this, especially since they were not exactly staunch Capitol loyalists. However, both of them decided to stay focused on the subject at hand—their district mattered more to them.

"So what are we doing?" Gale was the one to speak again, "what are our plans of attack?"

"Well… thanks to our connections to the Kazera family in District 2… we've got a rift in the Peacekeeping forces here. Are either of you familiar with Chive Kazera?"

"Aye," Naisha noted, "she's a peacekeeper my daughter seems to hold in fairly high regard—one of the few that was not replaced when Thread came in."

"She's on our side," Laurel smirked, "and she can help get the two of you to the mineshaft.

"What about the others?" Gale raised an eyebrow, being all too familiar with the cruelty of the Peacekeepers ever since Romulus Thread and his men had taken over.

"They will be taken care of." Laurel's face straightened, "I know the two of you—you're fighters. That's something District 12 has had in short supply for a while. '93 was a sad year when they finally took Sacajawea."

Gale put his hand to his chest and lowered his head. "she was a good woman" he agreed. Being reminded of the unfairness of Sacajawea ('Saki') Kwan's death fuelled Gale's passion against the Capitol. Panem had lost a hero that day in the 93rd Hunger Games arena.

Shortly after a few small preparations, Laurel guided Gale and Naisha to an abandoned mineshaft which led much farther north than Laurel had taken them. The point of interest then, was a small area set apart as a communications station. More interesting than that was that this equipment was labeled with a prominent logo bearing the characters "D13". Laurel immediately started one of the computers, and made contact with someone else a moment later.

"President to '13," she uttered, "President to '13. I have made contact with '12. Send troops down Shafts 417-C and 421-T immediately. We must be ready to mobilize within 64 hours of the present hour. Time is of the essence here, and failure to comply could result in the destruction of our target."

Naturally, Gale and Naisha were skeptical about what they had just witnessed.

"President," the little woman tilted her head. Laurel smirked.

"There was a pox endemic and a power vacuum in District 13 a couple decades ago," Laurel explained, "long story short, I am now in charge."  
"And so you walked all the way to District 12 by yourself…" Gale tilted his head.

"I did," Laurel nodded, "and now I'm coming back to save my district—OUR district. Hawthorne; Togisala… in less than 72 hours, we're going to break free from Capitol rule. With District 13 on our side our victory is all but secured. There will be a fight against Mr. Thread and his Peacekeepers… and potential retribution from the Capitol… but take comfort in knowing that District 12 will not be alone. It's been nearly a century… but it's about time that District 13 comes back from the underground to lend its fellow districts a hand in the rebellion once again…"


	10. Chapter 10: The Scores

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _With NaNoWriMo my going has been slow, but it's also been a great lesson in discipline. But, without going into too much detail about my novel, I'll instead keep the focus on the upcoming rebellion. Like most of my other OC stories, the 10th chapter deals with tribute scores, but this time, there's an underlying plot to help get the tributes out of there before the arena comes. Shishio and Zerlinda will be important players in these games, and since these are Hunger Games veterans and skilled fighters hand-picked by them, all of whom got 3 times as much training as normal, scores *will* be almost universally high all around._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 10: The Scores**

Soon enough, 20 of the 21 days of training were over, leaving the day of the private sessions as the only thing standing between the 48 tributes and the demise of their rebellion. The escorts and mentors were preparing to leave already, and were hoping to get out before the whole place went on inevitable lockdown after the power was cut.

Private sessions took much longer than usual considering that there were 48 tributes instead of the usual 24, but soon enough Roy found himself taking his turn. As with all of the other tributes before him, he found himself looking up at Head Gamemaker Zurok Takamatzu, who gave her customary words.

" _Welcome, Roy Keaton. You have 15 minutes to present your chosen skills. Good luck."_

After the all-day event, they were all back in their apartments, waiting for their scores. Even though at this point Zelda and Roy were confident that they were not going to have to go into that arena tomorrow, they still gauged the other tributes to see how strong the Capitol said they were. Unsurprisingly, with 21 days of training, half of the tributes being past victors, and the other half of them being hand-chosen fighters from the districts, scores were almost universally high all around.

" _Lucius Banks; District 1, with a score of… 10"_

"Good to know that that kid wasn't just all looks," Olivia quipped. "You kids picked a powerful ally."

" _Lucina Aldrich; District 1, with a score of… 10"_

"Two powerful allies," Roy corrected her, "I knew Lucina was a cutie, but it's good to know that she can walk the walk as well as talk the talk."

" _Lucas Drazen; District 1, with a score of… 11"_

"That man knows how to walk the walk," Olivia noted, "that's the same score he got 40 years ago."

" _Lux Calameda; District 1, with a score of… 12"_

"Seems Lux is more than just looks," Roy quipped.  
"That was a horrible pun and you should feel bad," Zelda elbowed him.

" _Zoram Micheli; District 2, with a score of… 10"_

"District 2 failed to disappoint." Roy approved of that score. "The Raiden siblings must have really known what they were doing choosing them."

" _Zerlinda Franz; District 2, with a score of… 12"_

"If she's really the mastermind behind our ticket out of this building tomorrow morning," Zelda's lips curled into a grin, "then it seems we've gotten behind the right girl. Not bad for a 15-year-old."

" _Katsuo Raiden; District 2, with a score of… 11"_

"Same score he got during the 82nd Hunger Games," Olivia frowned, "poor dear—those games destroyed him just as bad as his sister."

" _Kaede Raiden; District 2, with a score of… 11"_

"Her too," Olivia continued, "those were weird years—identical, and equally horrifying. That poor darling never saw it coming either…"

" _Circuit Lohan; District 3, with a score of… 8"_

"What happened to them?" Zelda looked curious.

" _Crystal Martinez; District 3, with a score of… 9"_

"No one but the Gamemakers really know," Olivia shrugged, "just that it was dark and any time there was a noise there were these horrific screeches."

" _Shigeru Lombardi; District 3, with a score of… 10"_

"Seems District 3 is up to their old tricks again," Zelda commended.

" _Ikki Ortolani; District 3, with a score of… 12"_

"Definitely," Roy agreed, "Ikki knows what's up."  
"Good to see you did your research on Ikki Ortolani," Olivia approved, "dangerous one, she."

" _Tide Swenson; District 4, with a score of… 7"_

"So… Katsuo and Kaede," Zelda shifted the subject back.

" _Sunny Zendenga; District 4, with a score of… 8"_

" _Gill Wainright; District 4, with a score of… 10"_

"I take it that those screeches are why those two are so quiet all the time?"

" _Mandy Ikezhen; District 4, with a score of… 12"_

"Aye, and that's also why they had special headpieces on their parade outfits. They shut out some of the noise and kept them from being spooked. Loud noises do not mix well with those two."

" _Surge Takamatzu; District 5, with a score of… 10"_

"How can someone so strong be so afraid of that though?"

" _Varsha Zenzi; District 5, with a score of… 9"_

"If anything, I'd be more afraid for the people around them. Any time they get spooked to that extreme, they will erupt into a violent frenzy. It's not pretty."

" _Cadence Montoya; District 5, with a score of… 11"_

"Besides," Olivia continued, "everyone who has ever been a victor of these horrifying games knows just how traumatizing they can be. Even the Mockingjay herself is dealing with post-trauma like this."

" _Bethany Shanza; District 5, with a score of… 9"_

"What!?" Zelda cocked her head, "but she seems so stable!"

" _Track McCloud; District 6, with a score of… 7"_

"It's easy for many of us to put on strong facades for the people we lead or impress. Once we get a little time to ourselves though, our demons come out to play."

" _Marin Chutes; District 6, with a score of… 8"_

"So you're basically saying that Korra Francisco could have a panick attack at any given time?"

" _Shishio Meraxa; District 6, with a score of… 9"_

"theoretically, aye; but so could just about any of us victors. Shishio here might be a little too mellow, but that's why we're trusting him to work with Zerlinda on getting us out of here."

" _Meili Meisha; District 6, with a score of… 10"_

"Seems like a fairly solid plan," Roy shrugged, "but if getting to know everyone here taught me anything, it's that we've got a colorful cast this year."

" _Birch Santos; District 7, with a score of… 9"_

"That's just the very nature of Panem, sweetheart." Olivia smiled, "we have 12 different districts with 12 different cultures. The fact that the Capitol cuts us off from one another apart from when we are going to murder each other's children in death arenas is beside the point."

" _Mozello Shao; District 7, with a score of… 8"_

"Maybe that's why this plan is working so well. We've got the two of us from '9, Shishio from '6, the schemers from '5, the Ringleaders from '2, and the rebels from '8, '11, and '12."

" _Resin Balthezar; District 7, with a score of… 10"_

"That's the gist of it, aye. A meeting of this size is one that will inevitably bring all sorts of different colors and ideas to the table, which usually works for the better."

" _Kara Petersen; District 7, with a score of… 9"_

"And then suddenly everyone realizes that district unity is a good thing."

" _Jeremy Wilde; District 8, with a score of… 8"_

"Well of course—why do you think the Capitol doesn't allow it?"

" _Mara Cerulean; District 8, with a score of… 8"_

"Time will tell if Romula can hold the regime together the way her grandfather did." Roy shrugged.

" _Connor McIrish; District 8, with a score of… 9"_

"Aye," Olivia agreed, "and even if she can't, I do not suspect that she will go down without a fight. She's nefarious, and it's written all over her face. I can see it."

"That's always comforting." Roy retorted.

" _Lyndis DeSiete; District 8, with a score of… 10"_

"Romula is deceptive, and she has a pretty face to support it," Olivia warned, "but that's a battle for Korra Francisco to worry about for the time being…"

" _Roy Keaton; District 9, with a score of… 12"_

"Hey, that's the highest non-victor score all night," Zelda elbowed Roy again.

" _Zelda Alto; District 9, with a score of… 11"_

"That one's not shabby either," Roy nudged Zelda in return.

" _Carver Tabris; District 9, with a score of… 8"_

"Well either way," the subject shifted back to Romula thanks to Zelda, "no one is safe from this. The Capitol will soon face the wrath of the districts, and with the leaders of this operation hailing from District 2, not even they'll crawl out unharmed."

" _Marian Greene; District 9, with a score of… 9"_

"District 12 is going to kick it off," Olivia warned, "distract the Capitol while District 5 does its thing. There's a girl from '2 going to fight off the Peacekeepers, while a guy from '6 is arranging a way out."

" _Rangi Darius; District 10, with a score of… 6"_

"So all in all, these scores are fairly irrelevant," Roy shrugged.

" _Elissa Calhoun; District 10, with a score of… 6"_

"It seems like it," Olivia shrugged, "unless you'd rather this whole thing fall through and we get carted off to the arena to starve and die."

" _Immanuel Cox; District 10, with a score of … 7"_

"yeah, I'm pretty sure none of us want that to happen." Roy agreed, "a 12 might seem like a pretty good score at a glance, but when so many others get it too, what does that mean?"

" _Tiffany Waxler; District 10, with a score of… 8"_

"well, the things that earned a 12 back in my day would barely earn a 5 these days," Olivia laughed, tributes these days mean business. It shows by how seriously the Capitol takes the games."

" _Josiah Flax; District 11, with a score of… 11"_

"On the other hand," Olivia continued, "I know full well that these remaining tributes are going to score extremely high. That means we've got fighters to help us get out of the Capitol."

" _Amari Flax; District 11, with a score of… 11"_

"you mean to say that we're not going to be relying on an old lady?" Roy teased.

" _Eli Christiansen; District 11, with a score of… 11"_

"I and some of the older victors, who know the system inside and out, are the brains of the operation." Olivia cackled, "it's a nifty little system."

" _Kozue Sowa; District 11, with a score of… 11"_

"Welp," Zelda shrugged, "everyone from District 11 just scored an 11. Let's see how their even more rebellious brethren fare this time around."

" _Maric Dragmire; District 12, with a score of… 12"_

"That doesn't surprise me," Olivia nodded approvingly, "that's the mayor's son right there."

" _Malak Dragmire; District 12, with a score of… 12"_

"So Lynn Dragmire is a fighter then," Roy smirked, "and so are her children."

" _Vigo Zakatau; District 12, with a score of… 12"_

"And so is Vigo, and so is Aveline," Olivia nodded, "I guarantee that we're about to witness all four District 12 tributes scoring perfectly."

" _Aveline Togisala; District 12, with a score of… 12"_

"Well," Zelda raised her eyebrow, "that's the first time I've seen that happen. I'm impressed."  
"And you should be." Olivia nodded, "District 12 has been working in the shadows for decades. District 5 is fun and all, being touted as the most mysterious district, while District 4 has the most erratic behavior, but I feel like people don't give enough credit to District 12 for how sheerly dangerous the place and its citizens truly are."  
"I guess we'll find out what's true and what's not by the end of the night," Roy turned to the others. "if the rebellion starts during the interviews, then the final hours of the games are upon us."  
"So be ready then," Olivia warned, "and hopefully Katór and Septus don't throw us into some weird or impractical outfits—because I think we're going to be escaping here in costume—well, you all are."

"What about you?" Zelda tilted her head.

"We mentors are giving them the slip tonight," Olivia whispered, "we will rendezvous with you all in District 12. Trust Shishio and Zerlinda, and everything will turn out right."

Roy and Zelda suddenly felt a weight in the pit of their stomachs. The mentors were leaving them, which meant that they would have to handle this next part on their own. Their test of faith was now.


	11. Chapter 11: The Pieces Have Moved

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And with NaNoWriMo out of the way, I can turn my focus back to fanficcing (I won/completed the challenge BTW). That said, this is where things start happening. The mentors escape the Capitol, and the tributes start to put their own escape plan into action. All the while, District 12 works to become the epicenter of something huge, and we get to see old faces: Gale, Johanna, Finnick, Katniss, and so on._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 11: The Pieces Have Moved**

Katór and Septus failed to disappoint in their outfit designs for Roy and Zelda that year. Both of them were decked out in silvery grey clothes possessing a shimmering, velvety effect to them. The grey and black makeup applied to their faces gave them an even steelier gaze, with the stylist pair telling them to remain stoic.

"We've got our bets on you," they assured the pair as they went to work on outfitting Carver and Marian, "For District 9; for Panem!"

Neither one of them was sure what to make of that statement; so they simply joined the other young tributes in waiting for the stylist pairs to finish with the past victors. Each tribute's outfit appeared to resonate with color, from the strikingly pink, glittery (and rather revealing) dress Lucina wore, to the metallic black clothes seen on the Dragmire siblings. Roy glanced around, before noticing an oddity as the tributes lined up and began to banter among one another. Zerlinda's dress and shoes were azure in color (and much less revealing than her fellow career tribute Lucina's), but there was an intricate band around her right wrist that was a scarlet red in color. It didn't seem to match the outfit, or so Zelda pointed out. Zerlinda simply smirked.

"That's so Akhet knows who I am." The District 2 girl pointed out, "Shishio from '6 is going to have one on his arm too."  
Sure enough, after another 15-30 minutes of waiting, the victors emerged, looking just as fabulous as the tributes before them. They disrupted the line, with Lucas and Lux slipping in between Districts 1 and 2, Katsuo and Kaede slipping in between Districts 2 and 3, all the way down to Vigo and Aveline at the end of the line. Zelda's eyes immediately wandered to Shishio's attire, where despite his colorful suit, he too had a scarlet band around his right wrist that was identical to Zerlinda's.

"Well, you two look stoked," Lyndis, the veteran girl from District 8 quipped. Roy glanced at her face, and could see something different about her expression, even if the girl was only a year—maybe two at most—older than them. There was something about those eyes that spelled victor's trauma. 24 of the people in this line had seen horrors comparable to nothing else. Even the veterans from District 2, whom everyone knew were among the worst affected victors in Hunger Games history, had the look in their eyes despite appearing perfectly calm.

"I'm down for anything that'll save us," Roy retorted.

"good," Lyndis frowned, "because word has it, you and Zelda will be cuing District 12 into action in your interview. Raise your arms as you enter the stage; mention District 12 if asked about threats. You're about an hour away from when District 5 strikes their finishing blow, and we need all eyes on District 12 in the meantime. They're going to have to put up an incredible fight if they want to last the night."  
"And what happens if they don't?" Zelda tilted her head.

"They go up in smoke, as a willing sacrifice for the cause." Lyndis shrugged, "but I don't think that will happen either. '8 gets a lot of '12's reports due to our alignment, and they've recently come across something big. They wouldn't say what, but I'm sure we'll find out soon."

Soon they could hear Caesar's fanfare playing as the 48 tributes shuffled backstage.

"Game time." Lucina cracked her knuckles, a mischievous grin spreading from ear to ear as she stepped out and onto the stage.

 _District 12, earlier that day…_

President Fox had wasted no time in finding some of the most key people of District 12 and bringing them together for what was basically a do-or-die mission. Gale Hawthorne, Naisha Togisala, Mayor Lynn Dragmire, and a man named Kolton Reki were all part of the District 13 President's little circle beneath the mines of the district.

"So in order for me to know where to move and position my troops and artillery," President Fox explained, "I first need to know what sort of Capitol involvement we have here."

"There's at least one Peacekeeper on our side," Gale began, "Chive Kazera—sister of Clove Kazera from the 74th Hunger Games. Romulus Thread is the biggest enemy, but other than him and his Peacekeepers, there are no pro-Capitol forces or people left in the district."

"Then it's clear what needs to be done," Laurel uncrossed her arms, indicating parts of a map, "Mayor Dragmire, your job today is to bring as many elderly, children, and others incapable of combat into shafts 428-K and 430-A for shelter against the storm. Anyone who can fight should rendezvous with my troops in 417-C and 421-A as previously instructed."  
"And what happens when the mentors arrive from the Capitol?" Naisha pointed out, "they should be coming here and should be here within a few minutes. Olivia said they were right on schedule."  
"Ah, Olivia," Laurel cackled, "bless that girl. When the mentors show up, we stick to the plan. Haymitch and Katniss likely have things they could share with us, and we get our troops into position so we can storm Thread's barracks, arm the rebels, and pick off any Peacekeepers that don't switch sides. By the time the Capitol shows up with reinforcements, I hope to have District 12 under full District 14 control."

"14? Don't you mean 13?" Lynn tilted her head.

"She means 14," Kolton pointed out, "District 14 is a district that transcends Panem. It is an idea that cannot be bombed or destroyed. It is the keystone of the Mockingjay Rebellion. However, for there to be a 14, there needs to be a 13, and so for the time being, 13 will take the publicity."  
"You talk as if you've been in contact with District 13 a while, Kolton." Naisha raised her eyebrows,

"I've been in contact for only slightly longer than you have." Kolton explained, "I'm a communications expert. Shortly after your daughter finishes her interview on Caesar's stage, I will be one of the ones transmitting the warning to the Capitol. After I finish is when District 5 will cut the power, if everything goes as planned."

"Well," Naisha turned to him and then to Laurel, "We're here to help. What can we do to get started?"

Much of the afternoon was spent in subtlety. Kolton, as a resident of District 12, went about his daily life, while Laurel blended in as a slow old woman, even if Gale and Naisha knew that she was still very hale and very much a fighter.

When the 22 mentors (for Districts 10 and 9 only had one mentor each; while the remaining districts all had two) arrived in the outskirts of the district, Laurel was there to meet them.

"Let's see the leader of this here rebellion in the flesh, shall we?" she requested Korra's presence, causing the others to step aside to allow her to pass. Amy, however, remained close at Korra's side as if acting as a bodyguard.

"So the stories of the first quell victor being alive were true then," Korra exclaimed, "and then you've somehow worked your way up to being President of '13. I'm genuinely impressed."  
"It takes work, kid;" Laurel nodded, "but you probably know that. I don't imagine you became the Mockingjay just by looking pretty."

"My stylist team does that," Korra chuckled, although apart from a little shadow on her eyes, she did not appear to be wearing any makeup, and her hair hung lank behind her. "But more than that, what do you need us to do? I think our faces are too recognizable to fit in around here. Everyone I know from District 12 is Amy's color or darker."

"Katniss and Haymitch would be the most suitable for this part," Laurel pointed out, "although Amy, Zenzi, and Sagittaria would blend in fairly well too."  
"And do you really expect us to just sit around waiting for them to have all the fun?" the short-haired District 7 mentor spoke up.

"I've got to side with Johanna on this one," a bronze-haired man from District 4 spoke up, "I don't want to watch from the sidelines while my friends fight and die."  
"Your time will come, Finnick; Johanna," Korra was the one to assure them of this, "but we need to make this look like it was solely orchestrated by District 12."  
"It *was* fully orchestrated by District 12," Johanna retorted, "but then Districts 11, 7, 4, and all the others jumped in on it."

"Trust me on this one, okay?" Korra pleaded, "we've only got a few hours of night to work under before the tributes get sent back up to their apartments and get locked down until morning."  
"We've trusted you this far," Gale and Naisha pointed out, "there's no reason for us to stop now."

"Then let's hurry," Korra ordered, "everyone I mentioned earlier, follow Katniss and Amy. The rest of you follow me."

The mentors, District 13 soldiers, and citizens of District 12 began to move like clockwork according to Korra's plan. AS the sun went down, Kolton, Naisha, and Gale met up with Chive, who planned to help them infiltrate the Peacekeeper compound.

The pieces were now in motion, and the games had begun.


	12. Chapter 12: The Fall of District 12

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _This chapter marks the ending of Act I. as we move into Act II, things get a lot crazier as we get thrown not into an arena, but into a nationwide civil war that will dictate the future of Panem, for better or for worse. Does Korra Francisco have what it takes to defeat Romula in an all-out war? Time will tell._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 12: The Fall of District 12**

The tribute interviews continued with seemingly little out of the ordinary except that the evening would take longer by virtue that there were far more tributes than normal. Tributes and victors alike seemed to share a dislike for the games, and some were more vocal than others. Lucina simply laughed it off, while it was clear Lux was gesturing profanities and a very displeased attitude that Caesar wrote off as "typical Lux". Zerlinda talked about how she had wanted to be a Peacekeeper and how she thought their guns were cool, while Surge and Varsha talked about something big they had planned. Roy and Zelda both got a kick out of that one, and they heard snickering from the District 12 tributes far behind them. The fact that the District 5 kids had just pulled a fast one right under the Capitol's nose felt like a small victory in a war where the odds were stacked against them.

Shishio spoke of how he enjoyed piloting hovercraft, and how he thought that the body collectors (who recovered corpses of tributes from the arenas) had to have interesting jobs. Soon it was Zelda's turn to approach the stage, and she raised her arms, giving District 12 their sign.

 _District 12, around the time as Zelda's interview…_

Infiltrating the Peacekeeper compound did not prove to be as tricky as Chive suggested. She was able to waltz in and out three times, bringing out a gun each time. Amy volunteered to go in unarmed, while Gale and Sagittaria took the guns alongside Chive. Naisha and Zenzi went around helping round up the people of District 12 and leading them to safety, while Kolton had stayed below ground to work on communications and to ensure everything was in place. In the meantime, Korra had assigned the District 5 mentors—Johnny Stallings and Marcelina Kovac—to help disable the power. As long as the televisions broadcasting the interviews were still running, suspicion would be low. Everything was going as planned.

"There's a small unit of able-bodied fighters nearby," Gale pointed out as they prepared to infiltrate the barracks, "Fox has helped arm them, and so when the Capitol reinforcements arrive we'll be ready."

"Got it," Chive smirked, "now, follow me—I know the easiest way in and the easiest way to gun 'em all down. Surrender is not an option at this point, as adverse as I might be to killing my coworkers. I see the bigger picture here and am willing to do what I must."

"You're the reason this is possible at all," Lynn assured her, "it helps to have friends in high places."

"Well then," Sagittaria cracked her knuckles before loading her gun, "Let the Battle of District 12 begin!"

Storming the barracks was easy due to the small number of Peacekeepers inside, and so the building was completely taken over in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, Romulus Thread was not among these, but he was aware of the disruption. They found him still in his vehicle, shouting for backup.

"Thread to Control; Thread to control!" he barked, "We've got an insurgency and an uprising in 12 with hostiles overrunning the outpost. Send backup immediately!"

He was silenced shortly after that by a wall-aimed shot from Gale's gun, but the plan had worked. Within minutes, troops from the Capitol had mobilized, taking forces from loyal districts such as District 5 and District 2, to send to try and quell the situation in District 12 before it grew out of hand.

"President," Kolton exclaimed, "they've taken out troops from '5. Amari's interview has just started, which means they have about 35 minutes to do their thing. We need to mobilize immediately to prevent hostile attacks from the Capitol on '12."

"Then we'll mobilize," President Fox steepled her fingers before picking up a radio. "Troops in 417-C and 421-A, mobilize up at the District 12 Central Square. Hostiles incoming from the Capitol in T minus 14; we have exactly 10.2 minutes before they will be in range."

Within 10 minutes, hovercrafts were appearing in District 12 skies, where they were met with aerial resistance as well as anti-aircraft missiles. By this point, most of District 12 had been evacuated into the large shafts, where over 14,000 people were now closely huddled together as the distant sounds of guns, aircraft, and explosions were heard far above them. The shafts were stable though, and faced no danger of collapse. The insurgents and soldiers from District 12 helped man the District 13 weapons to prevent the district from being blasted into oblivion. The sparseness of the central city coupled with the subtle positions the people of District 12 concealed themselves in gave them an edge above the Capitol, who was also not expecting such strong and dangerous retaliation. With the help of Chive, Fox, and District 13, the people of District 12 were seeing freedom from Capitol tyranny as much more viable option—and they realized that they may have actually stood a chance at winning the war—and that breaking away from Romula's regime might have actually been a viable option.

 _District 5, around the time of Josiah's interview…_

Kolton's communications were not only connected to the Capitol, but he had also jacked his way into District 5 communication systems to let the rebel leaders Sergi, Holly, and Fletch know that their time had come. Sergi's work on the dam had paid off, and with the help of Holly's knowledge of the place, Fletch's strategy, and the District 12 battle that was distracting the Capitol, the plan was going off without a hitch.

"You know that this isn't going to guarantee us freedom though right?" Holly warned, "'13 might be able to capture District 12, but there's still a long ways to go before District 5 will break away."

"Tell me, Holly dear," Fletch put her old hand on Holly's back, "how do you eat a loaf of bread."  
"Well, first you slice it—" she began, before freezing.

"One piece at a time, dear;" Fletch smirked, rubbing her hands together, "one piece at a time…"

Several dozen of District 5's bravest rebels joined the trio in helping carry or construct the explosive devices that they were going to set within the dam. They lay low for several minutes as they listened to Peacekeepers mobilizing, before they slowly began migrating towards the dam. According to Fletch, who was acting as the ringleader of this operation, they had about 35 minutes to pull this plan off without a hitch. Errors would be punished (by the Capitol of course), and if they did not knock out the power, it would jeopardize the lives of the 48 tributes still trapped in the Capitol.

"Have I made myself clear?" the older woman warned.

"Crystal, sir!" the soldiers replied.

"Then let's move out." Fletch commanded without skipping a beat.

By the time they had hauled the explosive crates all the way out to the dam, Vigo and Aveline were the only tributes that had not finished their interviews yet, which meant they had about 10 minutes to do this thing. Fortunately, most of the peacekeepers had been sent elsewhere to keep the spread around District 5 even. That was done to compensate for the large contingent that had been sent to try and quell the uprising in District 12, which was so far leaning heavily in favor of the rebels due to the now complete absence of Capitol-loyal forces in the district, Peacekeeper or otherwise.

The rebel citizens of District 5 stormed the Peacekeepers, with casualties on both sides. Those that laid down their lives for the sake of the rebellion would be remembered, but so audacious and out of nowhere had this attack been that the Peacekeepers didn't realize that there were explosives until they had started to go off. Thundering explosions shook the dam and parts of the whole district as the Coriolanus 10 dam was demolished in less than 5 minutes, sending the Capitol into darkness…

 _The Capitol, moments earlier…_

Vigo had wrapped up the show by complimenting Ava's words before him, and then commenting about how he hoped that things would one day change.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Vigo Zakatau, District 12!" Caesar beamed, as Vigo joined the throngs of tributes behind them.

"Now, stay right there, ladies and gentlemen." The flambouyant host continued, "We have one more special announcement before the night is over!"

However, what that announcement was, was never to be discovered—unless it was the announcement of war and rebellion. Shortly after Caesar presented the tributes, he stepped off stage only for the crowds to gasp. The entire auditorium had just gone dark as the power was cut due to the destruction of the dam. In the blackness, the exotically dressed tributes began to make their escape for one of the hovercrafts. The plan was working without a hitch thus far. The screen that had been flashing background effects and the logo for the 100th Annual Hunger Games wound up surprising the Capitol as it came on with a backup generator. On it, the face of Kolton Reki appeared.

" _Citizens of the Capitol,"_ he announced, remaining stoic as if reading from a paper, _"This is an encrypted transmission from District 13. I repeat: this is an encrypted transmission from District 13…_

 _District 12 has fallen. Any attempts at retaliation will result in mutually assured destruction. Do not attempt to retaliate for this action unless you wish for the Capitol to burn. For clarity, allow me to repeat myself: District 12 has fallen."_

The revolution had begun.


	13. Chapter 13: Escape From the Capitol

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Obviously if the tributes are going to escape from the Capitol, there isn't going to be an arena death match this time (I might write an alternate universe where these 48 have to duke it out; maybe find a way to include Korra and Amy even). Still... the war has only just begun, and there's a long way before anyone—including District 12—is truly free. That said, the tributes have to get out the Capitol somehow, and so wish them luck._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **PART II: THE WAR GAMES**

 **CHAPTER 13: Escape from the Capitol**

The 48 tributes knew that they had to move quickly if they wanted to prevent being captured. In the darkness of the Tribute Tower, they quietly huddled together, being led by Shishio and Meili to the hangar where the hovercrafts were kept.

Unfortunately, this place was already dimly lit with a backup generator, and at least half a dozen to a dozen Peacekeepers lined the area, as if anticipating an escape.

Oddly enough, this was when the azure-clad Zerlinda stepped forward.

"Man, this is gonna be tricky in heels," she murmured, before turning to the others. "Stay back and watch the show. If I die… either run, or wait for them to resume their posts before storming them."

There was an awkward amount of mumbling between them, although Zelda and Roy both smirked in the darkness.

Zerlinda surprised them by running in and screaming, charging one of the Peacekeepers, who shot her immediately. Zerlinda fell onto her back, skidding to a motionless halt almost between the man's legs. There were silent gasps among the remaining 47 tributes and victors, who were already calculating how they wanted to strike. One of the peacekeepers prodded Zerlinda's (now) exposed thigh with his gun, but this proved to be a big mistake.

"Haha! Joke's on you, I'm still alive!" Zerlinda had grabbed the barrel of the gun, twisted it to wrench it out of the Peacekeeper's hands, and shot the man dead an instant later. Naturally, this drew attention from the other Peacekeepers, but Zerlinda was on the job.

"This is for my mother!" she gunned one of them down, "This is for my father!" She spun around, "This is for giving me floor burn when my dress hiked up," she gunned down a couple more Peacekeepers, before turning her fire to the last two, "And this is for my spilled beer!"

In less than 45 seconds, Zerlinda had gunned down the 10 or so Peacekeepers guarding the hovercrafts, before she motioned to Shishio to come follow her.

"Hell did that happen?" the young District 6 victor elbowed the teen. "He shot you."  
"See any blood?" Zerlinda quipped, snatching another gun, "me neither. A second after he pointed his gun at me, I bent myself backwards and pretended to fall. I slid just enough to get right where I wanted before I struck."

"Brilliant, really," Shishio chuckled, "I bet your whole appearance caught them off guard."

"Nice legs too, by the way," Zoram quipped as he and the rest of the tributes caught up with them.

"We can admire the ladies' legs later," Meili warned, "to the hovercraft!"

The 48 tributes and victors boarded one of the larger hovercrafts. Roy and Zelda noticed Eli Christiansen toss one of the District 11 twins a gun. Amari jumped and snatched it, joining Eli at the docking gate of the hovercraft as everyone else boarded. After the last tribute (Lucina) boarded, Amari and Eli pulled the levers on either side of the bay to pull the ramp up. At this point, Shishio and Meili had taken over the cockpit and were readying the craft for takeoff.

"Everyone strap in," Kara, the victor from District 7 warned, "we know these two District 6 loons, and they're not about to make this trip easy for us."  
"Where are we going, exactly?" Varsha spoke up. As a District 5 tribute, she was one of the less involved people of the rebellion, even if she and her partner were both aware of it, and even if their district had just orchestrated one of the crucial elements of the escape plan by knocking out the power.

"Well, after the power got knocked out, Kolton popped on that screen and informed all of Panem that District 12 had fallen from Capitol control," Malak pointed out, strapping herself in but still clinging to her stolen gun, "so obviously we're heading east into the night towards District 12. They can take us to District 13, or to Korra Francisco—whichever we find first."

"That's exactly where we're going," Shishio called out, "and it's across the country, so strap in. This is a long dark night, and if we go down for some reason, we're gonna want either Zelda and Roy taking control; or Ikki, Shigeru, or their tributes."

"Why's that?" Shigeru piped up, "Are you anticipating us needing to do some mechanical work?"

"It's just a geography lesson," Cadence scoffed, "if we beeline it from the heart of the Capitol to the heart of District 12, we'll be crossing over District 9, then District 3, and some border wilds along the way. Provided that Shishio and Meili don't divert us from that course, if in the event we crash or are forced to land, we'll need someone knowledgeable on the layouts of Districts 3 and/or 9 to help get us to safety."  
"Speaking of which," Lucina piped up, "we need a couple people to do inventory of this thing. What kind of supplies are there? If these things spend all day hovering over the arenas to pick up the bodies of dead tributes, they've got to have a few extra bits of food or something to go around."  
"Yeah, but I don't think they were outfitted for 48 regular occupants." Zerlinda quipped, "Just make sure that District 6 doesn't crash us, alright?"

"What we need," Lucina continued, before pausing and turning to the District 3 tributes. "Can any of you build something that can jam radar?"

"This ship comes with a cloaking device," Track pointed out, "We build these things all the time."  
"If this one has a cloaking device, so do the others," Marin added, "they could be right on top of us if we're not careful."

"Well then," Shigeru stood up, "let me into the cockpit. I'm sure I could help design a radar jammer. If only these things were faster, then we wouldn't have to worry about it."

"The Capitol has forces in every district except '12 and '13," Zoram reminded him, "if they are onto our path, they'll mobilize faster than the highest-speed train out of District 6."

"Are there weapons on board?" Lucina asked,

"You bet your sweet little ass there are," Zerlinda smirked, turning to the others, most of whom were listening attentively to the conversation, "now, who here's a good shot? District 12, you better raise your hands here…"  
Vigo, Aveline, Amari, Kozue, Varsha, Connor, Josiah, Lucas, Lucina, and Malak all raised their hands.

"Not much of the shooting type, Maric?" Lucina turned to Malak's twin brother.

"She's the ranged one; I'm the melee fighter," Maric nodded.

"I'm more surprised this old geezer says he can shoot," Lucina quipped, thumbing to Lucas next to her, who laughed.

"Lucas shoot well," he beamed, "can pin fly to a wall by its wings without killing it. Lucas will help you kiddies man the guns!"

"Everyone who raised their hands follow me and Zoram," Zerlinda ordered, pulling out a pair of radios from one of the cabinets that the Peacekeepers usually used, and tossing one to Kara. "Kara from '7 will be in charge of the rest of the briefings," she told the others, "so do what she says, and I'll keep in touch with her."  
As Zerlinda led nearly a dozen tributes down into the lower decks of the hovercraft, she gave them instructions: "So there are two sides of the craft obviously, and there are three different guns on each side. Let's just have boys go left and girls go right. From there, pair off into three groups and man the cannons."  
"That leaves an extra girl and one guy short," Aveline piped up. "Do you want to go with the men or should I do it?"  
"You know them better than I do, victor," Zerlinda nodded respectfully, "and you'll have Zoram."

The tributes split up accordingly, and Kara kept the others quiet. Roy paid close attention to her, while Zelda joined Shishio, Shigeru, and Meili in the cockpit to stay up-to-date on the happenings around them. After about an hour, Shigeru grinned, slapping a device down onto one of the control panels.

"Flip this switch, and they won't know what hit 'em," he grinned. "If they are on our tails, they'll have to take shots in the dark."

"How much longer do you think we have until reaching District 12?" Zelda asked.

"Probably another 2 or 3 hours," Meili frowned, "these things aren't much faster than the trains. Be thankful though—apparently a cross-country trip used to take all day. We'll get there before sunrise for sure, even if we are flying east."

Most of the tributes that were not flying the craft or manning the guns had leaned back to rest. It was a peculiar sight for sure, since all of them were still in the fancy, colorful suits and dresses that they had worn to their interviews, as none of them had had the time to grab a change of clothes. Still, it was better to escape dressed like that than the alternative, and so morale was high as they soared off towards District 12. Another hour or two passed before there was another disruption—and it was a very loud, noticeable disruption: A loud banging noise was heard on the back of the vehicle, and instantly following such, the entire craft shook. They were being fired upon.


	14. Chapter 14: The Hovercraft Firefight

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _The sky battle that started at the end of the previous chapter gets covered here, and things don't exactly look too good for our heroes. Without spoiling too much, I'll just go ahead and say that the battle takes place mostly in this chapter, and the outcome gets revealed near the end, for better or for worse. The Revolution will continue regardless._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 14: The Hovercraft Firefight**

The shots continued to ring out around them.

"Shishi, you better be good at dodging shit, because shit just got real and is on our tail!" Kara called out. The fluffy-haired young man in the pilot's seat was utterly unfazed.

"Been a while since someone called me Shishi," Shishio giggled, "gonna have to remember that one."

"Zerlinda," Kara grabbed her radio, "do you have readings of the enemy?"

"Copy," Zerlinda replied, "we're openly firing on 'em now!"

"Shigeru," Meili turned her head briefly "can you get communications going to '12? We need to let them know what's happening. There's a chance we won't make it."

"That's nonsense," Shishio objected, "we might be delayed, but unless they are able to blow us clean out of the sky, I could make an emergency landing if one of our engines gets hit. Hopefully '12 is close, and hopefully those kids we sent down to the cannons know what they're doing."

"We've got about 6 cruisers on radar," Meili warned, "and they're gaining on us. I think they're using the jammed parts of their radar to get an idea where we are."

"That's better than them pinpointing us;" Shigeru piped up, "otherwise we'd already be up in smoke. Those kids from '9 have the radios though. Hopefully they get the message from '12 soon, otherwise we're going to hagve to shake these bastards off on our own…"

Roy and Zelda waited patiently to see if anyone from the District 14 rebellion would be able to locate them and try to contact them. In the meantime, all they could do was hope that the 12 sharpshooting tributes were really as skilled of shaprshooters as they claimed.

Fortunately, Zerlinda at least, was not lying about being a prodigy, and her rigorous training back in District 2 was paying off.

"YEEEEHAWWW!" the azure-clad girl shouted as one of her shots went directly through the small plexiglass window of a hovercraft's cockpit. "Nice teamwork, '5. I like you."

"Thanks," Varsha chuckled, "seems your reputation was earned."  
"I do good work," Zerlinda chuckled. One compartment over, Lucina sat with Kozue. They weren't able to shoot down a hovercraft, but damaged one forcing it to fall back a little.

"Right on!" Kozue grabbed Lucina's backside in celebration, causing the younger girl to squeal.

"Do you do that to everyone you meet!?" she gawked.

"Depends on my mood," the District 11 victor laughed, "good shooting though. we're not in the clear yet th—WHOA!" The hovercraft shook again as the hull took another hit.

"OY!" they heard Lucas' voice, "That had to be nearly close to engine! Stay frosting, little ones!"

A few cannon shots later, and an explosion lit up the right side view.

"Lucas excellent shot!" the old man guffawed, "two hovercrafts explode now!"

"I've gotta hand it to ya," Zoram approved, "you weren't bluffing, gramps!"

"Oy! In Lucas' day we had respect for our elders!"

"And I'm just joshin' ya," Zoram cackled, "but we've still got a long ways to go…

 _Justice Building, District 12…_

Even as District 12 remained successfully occupied by the rebels and the accompanying slew of District 13 forces, Korra knew that their fight had only just begun. President Fox and her men had set up a large-scale radar system to detect incoming Capitol craft, and by the time the tributes' craft was being fired on, they were in range.

"Looks like we've got some company," Haymitch frowned as he glanced at the screen the others were watching. They had taken over the Justice Building and were busy installing extra computer systems there to help make District 12 an extra base of operations so that they didn't have to flee all the way to District 13. It was a lot easier to work above the ground, and the sparse population of District 12 and its villages made it the prime spot to set up base.

"they're flashing on and off the screen though…" Korra's eyes narrowed. Like, they're going dark around this area." She pointed to part of the screen, looking a bit confused.

"It's a radar jammer," a District 3 man named Akiyo spoke up, "we do a lot of that sort of thing for the Capitol back home. A lot of the machines found in the Gamemakers' control rooms or in hovercraft control centers are our making. I'm no tribute or victor myself, but if you ask me, I'd say our clever little friends that escaped the arena put that thing together. That's why the other crafts are in pursuit."

"Is there a way to contact them?" Korra glanced around frantically: first at Amy, then at Gale, Kolton, Akiyo, Laurel Fox, and then back at the screen.

"I think we can do it," Kolton chipped in, "it will be tricky, and might take a few moments for me to jack in, but if I can get past Capitol security, I can identify the radar-jamming hovercraft and get in."

"Hurry," Laurel warned, "We don't have much more than a few minutes. The longer we wait, the more likely they're gonna get shot down."

 _The skies, near the southern wilds between District 3 and District 8…_

By the time District 12 got through to the hovercraft, Shishio and Meili were fighting to keep the craft on course. "Everybody hold on!" Kara called out, although she hardly even had to say it. Three of the six Capitol bombers had been shot down, and reports were coming in to District 13 from Districts 9 and 3 using Kolton's hacked system that there was something lighting up the skies. He warned them that he was taking the system offline lest the Capitol hijacked it, but promised them to remain vigilant.

" _The Mockingjay is alive and well. District 14 has not forgotten you. The Revolution has begun."_

Roy and Zelda were slightly startled when they got reception in from one of the other radio transmitters. The former of the two was the first to pick it up.

"Roy Keaton, District 9." He spoke, "what's the buzz?"

" _We have your general location on radar,"_ the voice (belonging to Kolton) responded, _"your jammer is working; we know that much. We are readying reinforcements. You're about an hour out of '12."_

"We've been hit a few times," Roy warned, "we might need an emergency landing."

There was a pause, and mumbling from the other end as Kolton contacted his superiors.

"If in the event of an emergency landing, keep the cloaking device on if possible and stay put. We will find you, despite the radar jammer. We don't want the Capitol carpet bombing the area just to try and end your lives."

Despite being completely safe herself, Korra was the one nearly pulling her hair out. She was worried sick about the 48 tributes somewhere in the sky trying to cross the country with the odds against them. Many of the tributes, veteran or otherwise, were her friends, and the idea of losing any of them—anyone who was siding with and supporting her and her cause—would be agonizing to her. She had lost far too many good friends in her own Hunger Games, and memories of these games came back to hunt her on a semi-regular basis.

For many of the victors in the hovercraft firefight, the traumatic memories were biting at them just as well. Katsuo and Kaede had long since covered their ears, shutting out all noise, while some of the other tributes were muttering under their breath for sanity's sake. Even some of the victors that were shooting at the Capitol assailants felt it, but did everything they could to repress it as well.

Soon they encountered yet another problem, however.

"We're out of missiles!" Zerlinda gawked, "and I'm pretty sure that smoke behind us is ours."

"Shishi," Kara stormed into the cockpit, "we're a sitting duck. We need to make an emergency landing."

"Does anyone have any missiles left, or is Zerlinda just trigger-happy?" Meili turned to her District 7 comrade, who promptly radioed Zerlinda. There was a brief moment of silence laced with incoherent talking before Zerlinda returned the report.

"Aveline and Zoram over on turret 3 still have two shots left." She indicated, "everyone else is out."

"Zelda," Lyndis overheard Kara and spoke directly to her, "alert District 14 of our plan. we need an emergency landing."

Zelda had actually been keeping up with current events just as Roy had, and so she radioed in.

" _Zelda Alto to District 14,"_ she spoke, _"I repeat: this is Zelda Alto to District 14. We've been hit too many times. We're making an emergency landing, coordinates unknown. Our cloaking device and radar jammers are still intact. Send help when you can. Over and out."_

"Strap in, kids!" Shishio shouted, "we've got to make this look legit. Kara! Alert Zerlinda and tell Connor and Ava to drop the last two missiles down and in front of us at approximately a 55-degree angle."  
"We're all strapped in already!"

"Secure anything you don't want rockin' around. If you're a lady, hold your dress. We're barrel rolling this sunuvabitch."

"are you out of your mind, Shishi!?"

"Always have been; but the rolling and the missiles are to make it look legit. If we aren't convincing enough, those last two fighters are going to blow us to high hell."  
"You have GOT to be kidding." Kara shook her head, strapping herself in and radioing Zerlinda. Suddenly the craft shook again as they were hit.

"That's our cue!" Meili and Shishio chanted. Suddenly the craft did a barrel roll. Aveline and Connor dropped the missiles to feign and explosion that they wound up soaring right through, and soon the bottom of the craft collided with the ground as Shigeru killed the lights. After a series of very large bumps and jolts, and tremors, the entire craft went dark and silent.


	15. Chapter 15: Warriors From District 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Apologies for the hiatus on this one. I actually knew exactly what was going to happen in this chapter, but got distracted by some of my other fics (including a binge on "The Victors' Chronicles"), and real-life events, including being sick the last couple days. Whatever the case, here's what's going on with our stranded, well-dressed tributes and victors in the middle of nowhere, and more importantly, what the rebellion is doing about it._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 15: Warriors from District 2**

The tributes and victors converged in the center room of the hovercraft again and remained deathly silent as they heard the Capitol hovercrafts screech away above them, still heading eastward by the sound of it. They briefly wondered if they were going to launch an attack on District 12 or District 13, but they were in no position to do anything about it. As they converged back into one room, Lux grew visibly uncomfortable and rose up, leaving the room.

"What's the matter with her?" Zerlinda tilted her head. The young District 2 girl, along with the District 7 veteran Kara Petersen, had sort of unofficially established themselves as leaders of the hovercraft operation, and since no one had opposed it, they embraced the roles.

"She's uncomfortable in large groups," Cadence frowned, also standing up, "I'll go take care of her." A few snickers were heard from some of the victors from around Cadence's time, and whispers of a relationship were heard; but Cadence didn't seem to care and none of them took the remarks or jabs much further.

"So anyways," Zerlinda turned to the remaining 45 tributes, "we're stranded; there's just no way around that. We've got a few options. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a single damn change of clothes on this odds-forsaken craft, so if we do any trekking out in this desolate wilderness tonight or tomorrow, we're gonna be all pimped out in these fancy duds."  
"or we could just shed 'em altogether." Kozue quipped.

"Kozue, I highly doubt this is the time nor place," Kara interrupted her, "besides… if the Capitol agents caught you running around in nothing but your slippers this time, I don't think they'd be dragging you back to the Tribute Tower with a slap on the wrist. We're fugitives now, and will become full-fledged criminals once we reach District 12."

"so that basically leaves two options:" Roy interjected, "we can either wait here for assistance, or scout around to see where we are."  
"I'm under the impression that we are between districts," Shigeru indicated, "which means that we are most likely between District 3 and District 8. Considering that they are both very rebellious districts, that leaves us with an interesting conundrum."

"How is that a conundrum?" Zerlinda tilted her head.

"Because," Connor warned, "while that means that the people there would more likely be willing to lend us a hand—with District 12's recent secession, odds are the Capitol has already started cracking down on the other 11 districts. They can mobilize swiftly enough to do so, and so even if we did get past the walls, there's still a dangerous chance we could run into military units instead."

"District 8 would have more rebels to hold them off," Vigo suggested, "but District 3 would likely have better means of getting this thing back off the ground. District 6 would have been the idea place to crash land in for obvious reasons, but wistful thinking isn't going to get us anywhere."  
"So what's your plan, Mr. Pragmatist?" Kara riposted.

"There's a time to act, and a time to simply take your finger off the trigger and let events play out around you before you charge right in." Vigo warned, "we're armed, and we're in a hovercraft that likely didn't actually take a great deal of damage in the crash, save for maybe the landing gear. Tomorrow when it's a little brighter, perhaps Shishio, Track, Marin, and Meili can assess the damage."

"Maybe it's not my place to say anything," Roy piped up, "but I feel like if that radar jammer still works that we should keep it running. While it might impede District 14 from finding us, the Capitol has more resources than the rebellion and are more likely to find us first."  
"It's a race against the clock, kid." Kara frowned, "but I think you're right. Okay, so here's what we're gonna do!" She raised her voice to garner everyone's attention, "Everyone hunker down and find a place to get comfortable. We're waiting this thing out, and so you might as well try and get a bit of sleep. It's been a long and crazy enough night without all this bullshit going down, and so we might as well try to rest up a bit. If the Capitol wants to bomb us the way they did to District 13, There's no point in running from that."  
"And what happens if the Capitol wants us alive?" Eli warned, "Some of us are known rebels. Actually at this point, we all are. We should guard the entrances—or at least sleep next to them."  
"If you're asking some of us to volunteer to sleep curled around a Peacekeeper's gun or two," Zerlinda smirked, "I totally volunteer as tribute."

"Lux volunteers as well," Cadence returned with his hand around Lux's. The tall, golden-blonde girl was actually baring her teeth in a grin. "Says she likes the idea of shooting people."  
"That's… comforting." Aveline's face straightened slightly, "at least she's on our side."  
"Lucas volunteer as well!" the older man guffawed, and after a few minutes, the 48 tributes had decided on who was going to arm themselves and who wished to actually try and get some decent sleep. Their fate was in the hands of chance at this point: whoever found them first would determine the outcome of their precarious situation.

 _-Various parts of Eastern Panem…-_

District 14 was hard at work rushing to mobilize troops and aircrafts to attempt to locate the missing tributes. Initially Korra had wanted to join these soldiers, but Fox insisted that she remain at the District 13 control hub and to remain in contact with them.  
"You're our leader, kid. We can't send you to the front lines on a rescue mission this early."  
"Don't you dare try to keep me out of the battle too long," Korra gave the old woman a stern warning, "I am not going to lead a rebellion from the sidelines. Either I am actively involved, or you find a new leader."  
Luckily for both sides, Amy was a mediator and a strategist.

"Look, kid," the younger woman stepped between Laurel and Korra, "she's got a point. You're not in this alone, and we're not ready to go on a nationwide hunt for a downed hovercraft, especially if the stuff about the radar jammers and what have you are true. Without those pursuing Capitol forces to track anymore, we are no longer sure of their location."  
"No one saw when the ship went down?"

"The Capitol crafts continued in a straightforward path until our interceptor units from '13 took them down. There were slight disruptions here," Amy paused to point to a point on a giant holographic map of Panem not too far from where the tributes' hovercraft rested, "and here, but that's still several miles of land to cover, especially in the dark."  
"Our biggest concern is drawing attention to their position." Haymitch warned, "if the Capitol catches us searching for them, they'll use that as an excuse to attack us."  
"We could just blow 'em to high hell and back," Johanna interjected.

"And this is exactly why you didn't go with Naisha, Gale, Finnick or Akiyo." Haymitch quipped, "the reason this whole rebellion was put off so damn long was in attempt to minimize casualties."  
"And I want to keep it that way." Korra asserted.

"You can understand my impatience then," Johanna reasoned.

"We all can, kid." Sagittaria elbowed her, "I've been scheming rebellious shit since '44 and sooner, back when I first won the 'games. You don't think that I'd willingly shoot my boyfriend just to crawl out of the arena, do you?" They grew quiet as the first reports from the fleets came in. None of the four had anything to report, although Gale and Akiyo reported Capitol activity around the fringes of District 8 where they were scouting.

"Keep searching…" Korra instructed, "it's imperative we find them soon."

 _-Panem, between District 3 and District 8…-_

The search continued all through the night, while the tributes and victors slept soundly in the craft. It was shortly before sunrise when something happened. There was a knock at the door. It was a gentle knock, but the trigger-happy Zerlinda was already on her feet, weapojn in hand. She peered through the peephole, before gasping.

"Holy shit!" She shouted, hoping to wake the others, "It's…" Instead of finishing, she opened the door, revealing a short, freckled woman with brown hair.

To everyone's surprise, Katsuo and Kaede cried out with surprise and excitement, racing over towards the woman, as Zerlinda and Zoram both gawked and then laughed.

"Clove, you bastard!" the latter of the two couldn't help but throw his arms around her. "What are you doing here?"  
"We're here to save your sorry asses and haul you off to District 12." Clove quipped, "so gather your things, show off those legs, and let's get moving. We don't have much time."  
"Hold it…" Kara mumbled, rubbing her eyes as she took a moment to take in the situation. "who's 'we'?"

"Me and about 300 soldiers from District 2," Clove explained, "we're part of the District 14 rebellion, and I'll explain it later. Get your friends and follow me."  
Deciding to question it late, Kara raised her voice again, waking everyone up, telling them to strap on their shoes, grab what they needed, and to follow Clove.

"nice outfits, by the way." Clove smirked as she watched the tributes make their way from the downed craft to the District 2 craft, which was much larger.

"Got any spare clothes on board?" Lucina quipped as she walked by.

"Nah, I'm an ass and thought it'd be funny to keep y'all dressed fancy till we got to '13," Clove laughed.

"The bad news is," one of the older District 2 soldiers warned, "is she's not lying."  
"Truly you're an ass, Clove." Zerlinda punched her as she glanced around for anything before stepping out the door as the last tribute to leave the vehicle.

"I try my best." Clove bowed, "now get your pretty little ass over to the ship. We're off to District 12, and we need to hurry. I imagine the Capitol is not far behind us…"


	16. Chapter 16: The Return to District 13

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Despite the long absence in updating this story, I actually do still plan to finish it. As mentioned in one of my other fics, my distractions may or may not have had something to do with Fire Emblem. That aside, we get to see some familiar faces as past victors reunite, and Clove clarifies what the heck she's doing all the way out here._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 16: The Return to District 13**

"So what's the plan?" Kara was the one to ask the question, since Zerlinda, Zoram, and even Katsuo and Kaede all seemed aware of Clove's motives.

"We're leaving this hunk o' junk for the Capitol to fawn over," Clove retorted, "you all can come with me and we'll take you to District 12."

"Do they know you're here?" Shigeru tilted his head.

"If you think I'm some Capitol turncoat trying to take you back, you're sorely mistaken." Clove snapped, "I hate them more than most of you could even dream of. Now, do you wanna spend time doubting me, or do you want me to haul your asses to safety?"  
"Clove…" Aveline put her hand on the freckled woman's shoulders, "it was a simple inquiry. We're on the same side here."  
"You heard the woman," Kara ordered, "Everyone move out!"

The 48 tributes migrated neatly and in an orderly fashion towards Clove's hovercraft, filing in until each of them was accounted for. They had no possessions apart from the clothes on their backs (which technically weren't even theirs either) and so switching from the crashed hovercraft to the working one did not take long at all. Clove's remaining troops were already ready to take off at Clove's command, and so she gave the signal. Three other hovercrafts silently rose from the ground, speeding eastward towards what the tributes assume would either be District 12 or District 13. After another couple of hours, the radio went off in Clove's cockpit.

" _You are entering District 13 Airspace,"_ it warned, _"state your purpose and remove yourself from the vicinity or we will be forced to shoot you down; over."_

Without hesitation, Clove seized the radio and responded.

"This is Clove Kazera from District 2." She smirked, "I've got soldiers from District 2 ready to join District 14 at your approval; over."  
" _How many crafts are with you, and how many are in your party? Over."_

"There are 4 crafts and 302 soldiers in all." Clove had not numbered herself among her 300 soldiers, and there was one that she had deliberately left out when she had said an even 300, "I've also got the 48 tributes from the 100th Annual Hunger Games on board; over."

There was a shuffling noise heard on the other end of the radio, and Clove could faintly make out the words 'call off the search party' from among them.

" _Proceed. Continue your flight for approximately 4.2 minutes and then watch for the red lights to know where to land. Over and out."_

Clove snorted. "I know how to land this thing." She mumbled as she continued her flight.

Ironically, Clove's craft was the only one with a slightly rough landing, but the four ships managed to reach what they thought was District 13 fairly easily. When they disembarked, however, they were greeted by several of the citizens of District 12.

"Man, the Capitol did a number on '13, wouldn't you say?" Clove quipped to an old woman.

"If this was '13 I'd say yes, but you're in '12." The old woman was President Fox herself, who had come to greet the soldiers and tributes. As the lights became brighter, she recognized Fox for who she was.

"I'd heard stories about you, but wasn't ever sure I'd see you in person, Fox."

"Good to see you too, Kazera." Fox smiled, "So tell me about these troops of yours."  
"48 of them are the tributes," Clove began, "this one's my daughter, and the other 300 are loyal rebel soldiers from District 2. The downside is, is that most of the people left there right now are loyalists to the Capitol, and most of the men are Peacekeepers, so these soldiers are mostly women."  
"I see nothing wrong with that," Fox quipped, glancing at the teen beside Clove, who had the same pointed, freckled face her mother did. "she looks just like you. What's her name?"

"I suppose that's a compliment," the girl quipped, "and it's Isabela. My brother's an ass."

"Oh?" Fox tilted her head curiously. "Why's that?"  
"He didn't come with us. He must have some ulterior motive or something."  
"Well, you two were bickering as I was getting ready to leave," Clove ruffled her daughter's hair, "but anyways, Fox, my troops are at your command. All I ask is that you station them and their commander in the same locations." She put a hand to her chest, indicating that she was in fact the one who had assembled and now commanded this legion.

"My soldiers will handle '12 then." Fox stated, "we've been arming it with troops, vehicles, and anti-aircraft cannons all evening. We're not about to let the Capitol think they can just bomb us or our allies into oblivion."

"I was about to say," Clove remarked, "this place looks like a military base."

"Welcome to war," Fox quipped, "although with how much has gone on tonight, let's get you and those tributes over to '13. We've got compartments for everyone."

"So when's the next big move going to be?" Connor was the one to speak up as she followed Laurel and Clove to the vehicles that led to the mineshafts that led to the District 13 Underground.

"Soon," Mandy from District 4 whispered.

"it'll be a while," Fox spoke up as if to correct the redhead, "eleven different districts still suffer the Capitol's oppression. We're trying to figure out which ones will be the easiest to reclaim first, and how we can go about doing that while minimizing casualties."  
 _District 13, later that morning…_

All of the tributes were relieved to be out of the fancy clothes and costumes from the Capitol, even if their new attire was just a grey uniform that everyone else in District 13 wore. Most of them were still asleep come morning, although Korra was among those that were awake. Even if she had not just arrived here, she found that a lot of District 13 was very new and unusual to her.

There were times allocated in the morning and mid-afternoon when certain individuals could venture out of the large underground hub to the surface, although they had to mind themselves closely, for there was no telling if the Capitol had spies at the ready.

Korra was simply out to take a walk, and so she was a bit surprised when she found a couple of victors sitting on the stone ruins of some old building that had likely been bombed a century before. She approached them, although couldn't help but listen in.

"Kara was the one that did most of the leading for the escape," one of the victors, a fluffy-haired young man she recognized as Shishio, was saying, "I just flew the plane."

"Kara was my mentor." The other victor was Johanna, "stern woman, but knew her shit well enough to bring me home alive."

"And now here we are, sitting in the ruins of a place we didn't even think existed." Shishio chortled, "And were it not for those folks in District 5 and out here, I'd be fighting for my life right now. Actually I probably would be one of the people to die in the bloodbath after 20 short years of being alive."

"20 years isn't that long, really." Johanna shrugged, "but why do you say that? I've seen you fight, kid."  
"It's easy to say 20 is young when you're 46," Shishio teased, "but mostly just because I just didn't really care. I had accepted my fate"  
"Don't take that kind of attitude in the war," Johanna warned.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Shishio laughed, "the moment I realized there were others trying to bust us out, I was stoked, and totally on board."

"And I'm glad you're here." Korra finally decided to speak out. Dezna and Johanna turned their heads to see who the intruder was, but didn't seem to mind after realizing it was Korra.

"Well, well… our leader decides to grace us with her presence." Johanna quipped.

"Was it something I did?" Korra tilted her head, wondering if she had somehow offended the District 7 woman without knowing.

"Nah, just intrigued that they'd let you out here. You're the symbol of this rebellion, Francisco. They're going to want to take you down first and foremost—or they'll save you for last. That's what they did with me 30 years ago."

"I'm sorry," Korra sighed, "and that's exactly the kind of thing we're here trying to stop. As much as I wish it, it's not just another fight or another game."

"Oh, these are certainly no longer games," Shishio warned, "this is war and it's certainly real. The Hunger Games might be a decent simulator for budding adolescents to get used to murdering each other for decadent entertainment, but they're nothing compared to the war we're about to face."

"How do you know?" Korra asked, "have you been in a war?"  
"Luckily I haven't." Shishio remarked, "but we in '6 build the machines that the Capitol uses against us. It's kind of ironic when you think about it. I've seen 'em and know what they could do. It's no wonder Fox is arming '12. If they didn't have some sort of military presence, the Capitol could level it in minutes—maybe even seconds, if their aim was good."

Korra was speechless for a moment, but Shishio chuckled. "don't worry about that though. I've got full confidence in you. In the meantime though, hopefully '13 has some Morphling they can lend me. I need a good strong hit to start off my day."  
"Good point," Johanna agreed, "I'm hungry."

Korra was left alone in the ruins for the moment, and she gazed up at the sky. The war had begun, and at this point, there was no turning back. She would either lead the districts of Panem to freedom or to ruin, and she knew it.


	17. Chapter 17: The War Council

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _I wasn't joking when I said I wasn't going to give up on any of these fanfics. I apologize again for the delay(s) on this one, and hopefully this chapter will compensate. We're not thrown into the pit of war, but the rebellion is planning its next course of action so they can gain momentum. Korra's a pretty good leader, and there are people from each district willing to help the cause. Hopefully I can update this a bit more frequently now._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 17: The War Council**

Korra had admittedly expected full-on nonstop combat for the next several weeks or months following the breakaway from the Capitol, but neither District 14 nor the Capitol seemed to be making a move. Naturally, she took this up with a war council, which, apart from District 13's President Fox, also encompassed several notable figures including Gale Hawthorne, Naisha Togisala, Haymitch Abernathy, Kolton Reki, and Mayor Lynn Dragmire from District 12; Amy Zavala, Clove Kazera, and Korra's brother Kada from District 2; Junichi Thatch and Cressida Kiya from the Capitol; Akiyo Chandaki from District 3, Johnny Stallings, Shishio Meraxa, Kara Petersen, and Alice DeSiete from Districts 5, 6, 7, & 8 respectively; and Sagittaria Svenja from District 11. Also present were District 9's Roy Keaton and Zelda Alto, whose promises to remain involved were not idle, nor did they end just because they and the other 46 tributes had escaped the arena for the time being.

Obviously Korra was invited and was one of the centers of attention considering her role, but she was far from being the only decision-maker. Her voice still mattered and carried a lot of weight though, and so when she expressed her concern about them apparently "not doing anything", people listened.

"War isn't that simple," Fox reassured the young adult, "think back to the Hunger Games, kiddo. You didn't fight every day. Sometimes there were hours or days where you could kick back and relax."  
"PLEASE tell me that's not what you're doing!" Korra cried. "Thousands are suffering right now at Romula's hand; do they not deserve our attention?"

"Don't worry, Mockingjay," Fox assured her, "it's hardly that simple at all. We're just doing what we can to make sure that we minimize casualties. Liberation doesn't do people a whole lot of good if they're not alive to enjoy it. Currently our operations are looking into District 11 or District 8, and we do not want to launch a two-pronged attack especially when our forces are so small."

"So how are you going to decide which one to go for first?" Korra frowned, "to me it almost sounds like trying to choose between your son or your daughter as to whose life to save."

"The problem, Korra, is that that's basically what's happening here." Sagittaria explained, "District 11 is larger, and those who are rebellious are staunch about it, much like those from '2. However, there are more rebels and fewer loyalists in District 8."

"The downside there," Amy pointed out, "is that the Peacekeepers in '8, while slightly less strict than '11, are anticipating a rebellion. We had an edge in District 12 where no one expected such a small district to rise up and rebel, and had '13 not helped, none of us would be here. They know now that we're not going to just stop at District 12, and as such they are ready for us."  
"How do you know all this?" Roy was one to finally speak up. "is there a communications network?"

"Kolton, Akiyo, Johnny, and Cressida are all part of it," Junichi pointed out, "Kolton is the reason we have secret communications networks with ten of the other districts currently."  
"Ten?" Korra paused, trying to calculate this. District 13 didn't need subtle communications with District 12 anymore (nor did it need to secretly communicate with itself), but that still left eleven other districts. "which district is not connected?"

"District 4," Akiyo frowned, "they're being dangerously uncooperative, because according to Thatch's report, they had a very rebellious streak to them when she visited, and the notion of the Mockingjay was very well-received there. I don't get why they're not trying to get in contact with us."

"Can we jack into Capitol TV?" Korra suggested, "we should send them a message—we should send all of Panem a message."  
"Oh, you want to film propaganda for the war?" Cressida raised an eyebrow, "that we can do. We'll keep you updated on when we're ready for that."  
"In the meantime, what are your propositions, people?" Fox spoke up, "this isn't necessarily a democracy, but if we're given the choice between '8 or '11, what's your answer and why?"

"8," Korra was the first to speak up, reminding some in the room of why she was chosen as the leader, "geographically, it's between us and District 11, and so it would serve as more of a vantage point to help us reach District 11."

"I agree with the Mockingjay," Amy acknowledged, "District 8 has a history of riots; let's capitalize on that. Let's keep the Peacekeeper force focused on '8 for a while as we prepare to make a move."  
"District 11, actually;" Clove spoke out, "The idea of capitalizing on District 8's rebelliousness is brilliant, but if anything, I feel as if it would serve as a worthy distraction. Peacekeepers would come in from District 11, District 3, and maybe even District 9 or District 2 if the rebellion can spread that far west into District 8 like that."

"I'm still with Korra on this one," Naisha spoke up.

"Likewise," Haymitch agreed.

"I'm with Kazera," Johnny pointed out.

"I'm with the Mockingjay." Cressida declared.

"District 8 seems more practical given its closeness, but Clove brings up a good point," Lynn indicated, "while Mayor Soya Tracy is definitely on our side, she and most of District 11 have their hands tied. To me, that's all the more reason to try and free them first."

"the same could be said about District 8's mayor Scarlet Zorana," Junichi pointed out. Several other arguments one way or the other were placed, while Roy and Zelda remained silent. Korra once again stepped up to try and diffuse tension that she could feel was rising.

"See, the problem we have here," she spoke loud enough to quiet down most of the others, "is that all of these concerns are valid. We're not choosing one or the other in life or death; we're simply gauging our capabilities. There's no point in trying to drag both unconscious children from the burning building if your physical strength can only handle one at a time. Aye, it does mean that you have to choose who to save first, and saving the other after that will be trickier as the flames grow more treacherous, but either way, we are still going back for both of them—and then the remaining 9 districts. Does that make sense?"  
There was a general consensus in that regard, although it was clear in the tones and expressions that not everyone was quite on board with Korra's idea of freeing District 8 first just yet.

"Speaking of 9 though…" Korra turned her head, "Zelda? Roy?"  
"You want the opinion of a couple of kids?" Zelda raised an eyebrow.

"Absolutely," Korra asserted, "All voices matter. This revolution needs to stay as united as possible, otherwise we're just falling into the same rut the Capitol kept us in for 99 years."

"If you ask me," Zelda stood up, a little bolder than before, "I'd actually say that we should go for District 3. Look at what it's surrounded by." Zelda stepped over to the holographic map of Panem, indicating the districts. To the east is us: '12 and '13. District 8 encompasses it on the south, and District 9 is to the west. That just leaves District 6 up north."  
"District 9 is a sleeper district." Roy explained, "We're small and fairly compliant because we lack the strength and subterfuge that '12 had, and there are a few districts between us and '13. We mind our business, and the Capitol Peacekeepers don't give us any grief."  
"If we captured '9, we could theoretically carve a path clear through to District 7," Shishio mused, "although that's a ways off; don't mind me."

"District 6 is full of its own problems as we all know," Roy cast a glance at Shishio, who nodded to verify the boy's theory, "so for them to spare soldiers and resources to stop an attack at District 3 seems unlikely. We can obviously pour in our support from the east, and District 8's riots to the south will prevent them from bringing in any reinforcements."

"That…" Korra's eyes widened, "is actually incredibly brilliant. Fox; Kazera; Dragmire: I request permission to execute this scheme, and for access to troops and resources to help make it happen."  
"I'm fine with putting my women in '3." Clove rubbed her hands together, "if we got our hands on their electronics and generators, I feel like that would greatly aid the rebellion."

"District 12's resources are at your disposal, Mockingjay." Lynn nodded, "just try not to stretch us too thin, you hear?"

"And this, Francisco, is why you are the leader, here. We might still command our districts and armies, but I see in you the ability to move your chessmen across the board without putting any pieces in danger without at least protecting and supporting them."  
"Ideally I'd like no one to be in danger," Korra sighed, "although I understand the necessary risks."  
"Such is the nature of war," Laurel patted Korra's back, "It seems we've all come to some rather surprising but pleasant conclusions this evening. This meeting is adjourned!"

Korra was giddy as she left the conference room. The prospect of war did not excite her, but the gripping reality that she was not only involved in a revolt against the Capitol, but was the woman leading it, was a rather euphoric sensation for her to take in—and enjoy.


	18. Chapter 18: Victors' Syndrome

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _After a month-long drought, the story continues! It took me a while to get recalibrated on this story, but like all my others, I'm going to see it through to the end. Korra suffers from severe PTSD like many victors do, and it's not until District 13 that they actually find anyone that's decently qualified to work as a therapist of sorts. We're not quite putting boots on the ground in District 3 yet, but that is likely to change in the next chapter or two as further preparations to strike are made..._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 18: Victors' Syndrome**

Korra understood that they couldn't just fly in and drop soldiers on the ground to attack District 3 and race in and claim the district. The element of surprise had been on their side in District 12, and the district was small enough that claiming it was easy. The difference now was that District 3, while plenty rebellious, also had its share of loyalists. It also had a much larger population, and was full of a lot more technology that was technically also at the Capitol's disposal.

Either way, Korra worked hard to stay involved. She felt it was her duty to help in as many ways as she could, especially since she was responsible for sparking the rebellion in the first place, and now the rebels from all walks, including the 48 men and women that had barely escaped being shipped off to a death arena, all looked to her as their leader.

Perhaps her weakness then, was wanting to get *too* involved. No one could really dismiss her or boss her around, since President Fox herself, considered to be the highest-ranked official in the Mockingjay rebellion, had given Korra express permission to essentially do whatever she wanted (within reason of course; though she trusted Korra's judgment).

She spent her time sitting near Akiyo, listening to him and others in the communications room making contact with the remaining districts except for District 4, which no one in '13 was able to make connections with. The plan to make a move on District 3 was under way, and from the rebels who remained in Districts 3 and 8, it was clear that they were trying to coordinate the rioting in '8 with the time Clove's soldiers landed on the ground so they could make this strike against the Capitol's presence in '3 timely, efficient, and minimize casualties. Akiyo was not ignoring Korra, but he was focused on what he was doing to the point where apart from briefly acknowledging that he was aware of her presence, he did not interact with her at all. Korra was no so needy for attention to make this upset her, but when she did speak up, it was a complaint.

"Something bothering you, Mockingjay?" Akiyo turned to glance at the auburn-haired woman. It was an almost surreal feeling for him, looking at the iconic 24-year-old woman who was the leader of the rebellion they were carrying out here. This lone woman was the Capitol's most wanted person right now, and while both sides worked her up as this glorious hero or reviled enemy, all he saw was a young woman trying to make a difference.

"No…" Korra shook her head, "I was just curious about what you were doing. Don't mind me."

It was not until after his shift that he saw Korra again, accompanied by her older brother Kada. This was also the first time he realized how similar they looked, but also that something was seriously wrong with Korra. He could see it in her eyes, her expression, and the way she held herself. All of this told Akiyo, who had studied a great deal in this field, that Korra had seen and done things her brother had not. While the older of the two looked fairly normal, there was something about Korra's visage that gave away her trauma.

"What?" Korra gawked slightly when Kada pointed at Akiyo. "He's a communications expert AND a therapist? When did this happen?"  
"It's something I used to study back in District 3 a while back," Akiyo chuckled, "Junichi Thatch is probably still more skilled than I am in that regard, but really it's part of the communications job."  
"How do you figure?" Korra tilted her head.

"Because we have a lot of Hunger Games victors here, and not all of them are cooperative," Akiyo warned, "most notably is District 1's Lux Calameda."  
"What's wrong with her?" Korra had heard about the girl's rather savage victory 5 years ago, and knew that she couldn't speak, but she had seemed cooperative enough according to Clove, Shishio, and Kara.

"She's depressed, and we're still trying to root out the cause." Akiyo explained, "and the only one that can really bridge communications with her is Cadence Montoya, and he doesn't wish to divulge Lux's secrets very easily either. Both of them have Victors' Syndrome rather severely, and it shows."

"I'm all too familiar with that." Korra sighed. It had many names, but in truth, it was a very particular kind of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder that every victor suffered from in one form or another. Some were better at hiding it than others, but to a keen eye like Akiyo's, there was also something about their facial features and the way they carried themselves that gave it away. Seeing Korra and Kada side by side made it clear: while Kada was completely mentally stable, Korra was afflicted with this Victors' Syndrome, and Akiyo wanted to help.

"Trust me, sister," Kada gave her a reassuring smile, "you're in good hands."

"Right," Korra seemed rather flustered, but ultimately parted with Kada to follow Akiyo. It was time to make a few confessions.

Akiyo took her to another compartment: cozy and small, but fitting for what they needed it for. It was only after sitting down across from Akiyo that Korra realized how good-looking she thought he was. She shook that thought out of her mind, however. That was not why she was here.

"I assume that you are here because your brother recommended me?" Akiyo began the conversation, treading carefully regarding what he said here.

"I imagine you'll learn sooner or later anyways," Korra shrugged, "but aye; I'm here about the same traumatic issues that affect me and the other victors. My problem is that sometimes I get these flashbacks at the worst times. With the idea of war looming overhead, the thought of having a panick attack during the fight is terrifying me."  
"And I presume the notion of staying behind is not your thing?" Akiyo half chuckled.

"No, no, a thousand times no!" Korra shook her head vigorously, flinging her auburn strands every direction. "I refuse to lead the rebellion from the sidelines. Despite my trauma, I'm still a fighter and a warrior at heart. Either I lead the revolution alongside the soldiers, or they find a new leader."

"I'm not making any propositions of any sort," Akiyo raised his hands for a moment, "I'm just trying to keep your mental well-being in check. I understand your reasoning, Korra."  
"Good," Korra sighed, "because I have too many eyes on me for me to mess up. If I do something that costs the life of anyone but me, I'm not sure I could forgive myself."

"you're not expendable either, Korra," Akiyo warned, "If this revolution merely needed an icon, we could easily find one. That girl Zerlinda from District 2 could easily do it. If not her, her partner Zoram could qualify, as could Kara Petersen from District 7, or even Shigeru Lombardi from District 3. Some of them also have impressive leadership skills. However, you're the one with the unrivalled leadership ability, Korra Francisco. I've never seen anyone so proficient at diffusing tension as you are. I watched the 93rd Hunger Games; I saw you there, and I've seen you now. You want to put everyone on the same page, and minimize casualties once the war breaks out. You're more worried about the people of District 3 than I am—and that says something. Those are my people."

"It's hard," Korra lamented, "I try to calm myself down, but sometimes it just makes it worse."

"I'm not the only one who is more than willing to help you, Korra," Akiyo pointed out, "Whatever or whoever you might need at your side to remain calm, we can make it happen—within reason of course."  
"That's the problem," Korra shook her head, "being around brothers and sisters in arms would help keep me calmed, but if I had to watch another one die…" she trailed off, thinking of the dead tributes from her games, or from the games she was old enough to remember watching. She thought of her old partner Victor Caruso; of the heroic martyr Sacajawea Kwan. She remembered the terrifying visage of District 6's Garrett Locke after she had slain his partner Alayna Marth. She thought of Vivian Nelson, who, despite being from District 1, was as spirited and resilient as the staunchest citizen of District 12. While Sacajawea had been her closer friend, Korra could not forget the words Vivian had stated as she lay mortally wounded. As long and elaborate as the speech had been, Korra remembered every word of it as if it was spoken yesterday….

" _My death isn't even what's hurting me—it's knowing how my mother and father will react. It's knowing that I will never be able to go home and reassure them that their eldest daughter is alive and well… It's knowing the guilt and heartbreak they will feel knowing that they, like so many others in my district, eagerly and unwittingly sent their child to their death. My life is not important to me because of my dreams… My life is important to me because of my mother, my father, my younger sister and my two brothers. They are the ones that are going to have to suffer for years to come. I get the easy way out…"_

That had been what hurt about watching Vivian Nelson die. She knew that her time had come, and that had not been what bothered her. Korra knew, from that point onward, what an impact losing a friend that close would have on her.

"I think what you need right now though, Mockingjay," Akiyo snapped her back to reality with a few gentle words, "is some rest. I've seen you awake so much, and seen your compartment empty even late into the night when I'm working graveyards. You need sleep."

"Maybe I do," Korra murmured, "I just…"  
"I know you want to help," Akiyo kindly reassured her; "but you can't help if you're braindead from exhaustion. Just remember—we're all on your side here, and we're working as hard as you are to ensure that no one dies."  
"Right…" Korra stood up, embracing Akiyo for a moment. "Thank you."  
"No, Korra…" Akiyo smiled, putting his arms around the stockier girl, "thank you."

Korra returned to her compartment that evening, and by the time Kada showed up an hour or two later, Korra was sound asleep, a serene little smile on her face. Akiyo might not have cured Korra's trauma (some afflictions had no cure), but he had managed to make her smile again, and remind her that things weren't always as bad as they seemed. Their cause was just and their morale was high. Within a few days, they would be liberating District 3. From there, the war for Panem would continue until every district was free from Capitol control…


	19. Chapter 19: The Enigmas of District 4

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Due to my main focus being on 'The Victors' Chronicles' and 'The Silent Dragons', this fic kind of unintentionally went into a slower phase. However, fret not. I'll continue to update it semi-regularly now that I'm on a more sturdy schedule. But, enough about my personal life and such, when this stuff shows up on my profile. This chapter helps progress the war a bit further in a way even Korra did not suspect. There's also a call-out to one of my other fics. Iris Durango, the villain of The 91st Hunger Games, had two older sisters: Jasmine, the middle child, and Lilac, the Korra lookalike. We're going to see a lot of them in this chapter, and hopefully it will also help explain what the heck is up with District 4 after all these years. they've always kind of marched to their own beatm haven't they?_  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 19: The Enigmas of District 4**

Despite their status as the 4th wealthiest district in Panem, District 4 was susceptible to far more blackouts than they should have had. It made sense in the far eastern districts like District 12 and District 11, but districts like 6 and 7 were much farther away from District 5, the source of Panem's power, than '4 was. So why then, did the cities of District 4 go dark so often?

To imply that the citizens of District 4 rioted because of blackouts would be erroneous and superfluous. Their discontent towards the Capitol was actually very subtle and underhanded; not as blatant as District 8 and not as conniving as District 12. They were aware of District 13's presence just as the rest of Panem was, however. They had been watching the interviews like everyone else (where conveniently, the power didn't ever go out) when the lights in the Capitol had gone dark and the televisions had been replaced with Kolton's face as he announced that District 12 had fallen. They were free from the Capitol's rule, and were being led by the symbolic hero of the 93rd Hunger Games, Korra Francisco.

District 4, however, was always notorious for playing by its own rules. The only extent to which the other districts and the rest of Panem knew this truth, was by the behavior of the District 4 tributes in the Hunger Games. Sometimes they joined the careers, other times they joined their rebellious friends from District 3, and often times they didn't even join any alliance at all.

While District 13 and the other 11 districts of Panem rallied around Korra Francisco, however; District 4 rallied around its own hero: Lilac Durango, an auburn-haired District 4 woman who bore a striking resemblance to Korra Francisco with a light tan, only with slightly bluer eyes, a not so muscular build, and no freckles. She had, however, taken up the mantle as a role model and leader, with her younger sister Jasmine helping to spread the word. Her face resembled Korra's enough that she served as just an iconic of a role model for the citizens of District 4.

Lilac met with Mayor Ermyn Douglas in the Justice Building early one evening to discuss the state of affairs. Most of the district seemed content, and none of the Peacekeepers seemed riled up or reserved about anything in particular. To them it was just another normal day. Plenty of battalions of Peacekeepers had been sent out to most of the other districts after District 12 fell into the hands of '13, but as the district in the dark, '4 was spared any of this.

"Panem is still wrought with tension," Mayor Douglas warned, "Your little gambit here is going to be an all-or-nothing risk. If we fail, the Capitol is going to come down hard on us."  
"I see no reason to sit around under Capitol subjugation when we have the same advantage District 12 has," Lilac pointed out, "our only disadvantage right now is distance."  
"Which could be problematic," Douglas reminded her, "if we invoke the Capitol's fury, they can reach us before District 13 could come to our defense. They've taken over '12 and have military units and vehicles all over that place to protect it. The Capitol knows this, and so they're playing nice for now."

"And we've got nearly 10 times as many people as '12, and loyalty to the Capitol isn't really our thing." Lilac asserted, "If '12 can do it, so can we!"

"This doesn't have anything to do with your sister Iris, does it?"  
Lilac's mouth opened, and then she sighed. "I still miss her. She'd be 23 right now if she were still here, and as much as I'd like to move on, I really can't come to terms with Aveline or '12 because of it."

"Don't let that mental block hold you back," Douglas warned, "The Capitol and outsiders might think you're little more than a commoner, you're a very influential woman, Lilac."

There was a knock at the door before Lilac could respond.

"Enter," Douglas knew who it was, and true to his guess, Jasmine Durango stepped through the door.

"Baby sister," Lilac smiled for a moment, "what's the word on the streets?"

"I hate it when you call me that and you know it." Jasmine grumbled, "But on a more business-related note, we've gotten word from Mandy in District 13. They're moving to liberate District 3 next and move out from there, likely to '8 or '11. It seems it's as we feared—they're going to do this geographically."

"But can we really blame them?" Douglas reasoned, "Keep their troops concentrated so the Capitol doesn't spread them thin and waltz right on through their ranks. We're fighting a foe far stronger than us right now, and without '13 at our doorstep to help with soldiers and supplies, we're on our own."  
"Then let's use these blackouts to our advantage," Lilac suggested, "take out the Peacekeepers in the dark and take back our district. If we work efficiently we can have any and all the ones loyal to the Capitol dead at our feet by sunrise."

"What are the people's thoughts on the matter," Douglas was not the mayor of District 4 simply on his good looks; he cared for his people even to the point of lamenting the tributes that were killed year after year in the Hunger Games. He was not the only one that was greatly relieved when Shishio Meraxa and Zerlinda Franz managed to help free the 48 tributes from the 100th Annual Hunger Games in what would have been the most heartbreaking and deadly Quarter Quell or Hunger Games in Panemian history. "I will not go against the wishes of the public."  
"They're all in; not even kidding." Jasmine asserted, "If you don't believe us, I can get Dante Daniels on the line for you. He and Eska are keeping in contact with Gill and Mandy in '13, and have been for days now. It's a wonder they haven't been caught yet."

"I'll take your word for it then," Douglas stood up. "Come; we have much preparation to do if we're going to free our district from Capitol Clutches in the dead of night…"

 _District 13, around the same time that evening…_

"They would totally tell us to step down if they knew," Mandy reasoned.

"I'm not arguing that;" Gill shook his head, "but the others are getting suspicious."  
"That's the problem. District 4 is ready to rebel the same way District 12 is. Lilac and Jasmine have teamed up with Dante and my daughter to help organize the rebellions. Even the mayor is in on it."  
"And yet without support from '12 and '13 we could get clobbered."  
"We have the strength to retake our district without them. We can take out the Capitolite Peacekeepers and have the district under our own rule by sunrise."  
"And do you think the Capitol will just sit well with that, Ikezhen? Look, I know you were my mentor, but listen to reason, woman. I'm on your side; but what if the Capitol comes and bombs us since we're devoid of District 13 protection?"

"Do you think that the Mockingjay would stand for that though? They'd retaliate, Wainwright. Look, Francisco wanted to minimize casualties, right? Well, District 4 is ready to minimize casualties. There will be a great number of deaths in '3 when they attack it. Maybe if Kazera loses some of her soldiers she'll realize the folly of attacking a district that isn't ready."

"They'll still say that '4 would spread them too thin, and it would." Gill asserted, "I'm not trying to play Devil's Advocate here; I'm just making sure you see the risks and not just the rewards."

"I know, but that—" Mandy froze mid-sentence as footsteps grew closer. Both of them looked totally suspicious hiding in a corridor like this, and to just about anyone it would look like they were scheming unless they came up with an alternative.

By the time the intruder passed by them, Mandy's pants were down and Gill was rubbing her legs suggestively, and both of them froze with red faces as the culprit—Lux—turned their way.

"Do you mind?" Gill pretended to look flustered. Mandy looked genuinely flustered, considering she had a child of her own already.

Lux shrugged. She pointed to her ears to indicate that she had heard everything, and then shrugged and shook her head, indicating she didn't care. She followed up by pointing towards the nearest compartment door and then gave a dramatic sigh and rolled her eyes before continuing to walk away.

"It was Lux, you dumbass." Mandy hurriedly straightened her trousers, "she's not gonna rat us out because she can't."

"If she wanted to sign it to someone, she could. Luckily I think those gestures indicated she didn't care."

Luckily for them, Lux truly didn't care, and the rest of the evening went quietly.

Korra was back in the control room with Akiyo again, watching him, Kolten, and a few other victors and techs work with communications to every district except for '4. Incidentally, it was later in the evening when that changed, as Kolton finally managed to jack into a District 4 communications line.

"I've made contact with '4!" He exclaimed. "I'm not getting a response, but I've got video footage of the Justice Building security cameras… wait…"

The three of them gathered around the screens, and it did not take long for them to be joined by groups of others from inside and outside of the control room, who watched as a District 4 flag replaced the Capitol one on top of the Justice Building in what appeared to be a rather clean fight. The district did not appear to even be burning anywhere. If this was how District 4 "rioted", then perhaps Korra's rebellion could take a hint from them.

From the back of the room, Gill and Mandy stepped in, and when they saw what was unfolding in front of the rebellion, they both were grinning ear to ear…


	20. Chapter 20: Three for the Price of Four

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _hey... remember how I said I was going to update this every two weeks or something? haha, funny joke, right? But on a more serious note, I apologize for the delay. With 97% of "The Victors' Chronicles" out of the way and a steadier update schedule on my other fics, I was able to pump out this chapter. Like Mockingjay, there's a bit of complicated warring going on, which involves a lot of strategizing. This chapter is the buildup, which means the next one will be more of us seeing Korra and co. in action. Of course, if you want more of our friend Ms. Francisco, there's always "The 93rd Annual Hunger Games" as well._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 20: Three for the Price of Four**

Most of the room was still staring in disbelief at what they were seeing on the screens. Korra, Kolten, and Akiyo had amassed a crowd consisting mostly of victors, although President Fox and Mayor Dragmire were also present.

"Anyone from District 4," Korra spoke up, "Get them in here now!"

The District 4 population in District 13 at the moment was basically just Gill, Mandy, Tide, and Sunny. To her surprise, none of them looked too surprised.

"We've been brewing this scheme for ages," Mandy explained, "and while our timing might not have been that great, we also didn't want to wait and be the last district the rebellion took over. No one wants to take it up the arse from the Capitol any longer, and we had the strength and willpower to free ourselves. We're too far away to just sit there taking it any longer."  
"But that's the problem," Laurel warned, "you're much too far away for us to provide reasonable aid to from here, especially Districts 5, 2, 1, and the Capitol all stand between us and you."

"Then what do you propose we do?" Sunny frowned, "Obviously we're still in on the rebellion, but even if we had told the Mockingjay what we knew about this upcoming rebellion, there would be very little we could do to stop it."  
"It makes things more difficult," Korra sighed, "but we have to do something."

"The problem is that sending in support for District 4 this time would just spread us thinner," Clove frowned, "I think the Capitol knows that we're not exactly a full force yet, since they're much more organized, we'd basically have to go in with guerilla warfare."  
"So do we leave District 4 to the wrath of Snow?" Mandy frowned.

"I'd have to say affirmative on that," Fox sighed, "We will try to organize a few supply drops, but obviously we don't want to start bringing the nukes in or the whole country will go up. Don't think for even a second that Romula Snow would be above that."

Korra was clutching her head as if she was about to rip her hair out. "This is like trying to decide which child to pull out of a burning house," she groaned, "There has to be a better way."  
"We can send munitions and supplies to them if we're careful," Fox reminded her, "but the Capitol will not take kindly to it if we're caught. Remember, Korra—the reason that spreading ourselves so thin is so dangerous is because if the Capitol takes us down, we're all going to be screwed, and thousands in every district—including District 4—will die. The Hunger Games will continue, and even us in '13 here are likely to be destroyed."  
"You cannot bomb an idea though," Korra reminded her, "District 14 would live on."  
"But District 14 would still need decades to repair if the Capitol had their way with us," Fox warned, "so if you're asking my opinion, I'd say we keep on with the plan to invade District 3."  
"I support that notion," Clove asserted. "Do we need another war council?"  
"I don't think so," Kolten looked around, "unless the District 4 clan is against our plan."  
"We are against it," Tide was the one to speak up, "but we will cooperate. District 4 marches to its own beat, and while technically none of us are here right now by choice, we were rescued by the rebellion, and so we will fight alongside the rebellion to repay that debt."  
"I hope that that's not the only thing promising your loyalty," Korra frowned.

"I doubt it," Mandy shook her head, "I mean, unless you take this gig down some really wild paths, odds are we'll stick with you. Just… please don't forget about us in '4, alright?"  
"Forget about you?" Korra gawked, "I'm already almost literally pulling my hair out over this! Any good leader needs to worry about everyone under her charge… and if I've been tasked with liberating all of Panem, then all of Panem is under my charge."

"You're not in this alone, kid," Clove put a hand on Korra's shoulder, "just remember that. Don't stress too much. Remember—once Romula gets wind of this, she's going to put her sights on you. She will try to not only break you, but destroy any semblance of willpower you might cling to."

"I've met the woman before," Fox warned, "she's been aware of District 13 a while."  
"What!?" Korra looked even more perplexed, "how come nothing has happened?"  
"The same reason nothing happened a hundred years ago," Fox chuckled, "Mutually Assured Destruction. They are actually part of the reason we had to lay low for so long. Coriolanus Snow used to visit us semi-regularly to remind us of his power, and while we knew that nuking him would be fun, we knew it wouldn't come without vicious retaliation. And even if we did take him out, he had Romula ready to take his throne the moment he died. He knew what we were going in for, and that's why he set her up this year to rule in his stead."

"And she's even nastier than he was," Junichi quipped, "this is going to be a difficult war, especially since we no longer have the element of surprise on our side."  
"The odds really are stacked pretty heavily against us, aren't they?" Korra frowned.

"Very much so," Fox nodded, "but the revolution must continue. There will be a briefing first thing tomorrow morning. Any victors, tributes, and citizens of District 3 are invited to attend."

The crowds mostly dispersed except Kolten, Akiyo, and the rest of the communications team that remained to watch the footage of the revolution that was taking place in District 4. It was only after the district blacked out again that they stopped, also realizing that they were not alone—and that the woman behind them was not Korra.

"Blackouts," the fiery-haired woman told them. Mandy had stayed behind. "You won't get through to them again for a while. District 4 is once again on its own."  
"Don't play the guilt-tripping game with me," Akiyo sighed, "we're just communications. Korra or Fox are the ones you want to talk to."  
"I'm not playing the guilt-trip game," Mandy shrugged, "it's just the truth. We're still supportive of the revolution though. The sooner we conquer the other districts, the sooner we can reach District 4. I have a husband and child back home though who are about to be plunged into a war that could potentially become worse than my Hunger Games overnight. Victors might not make the best parents, but that doesn't mean I don't still worry every hour about their fate and well-being."

She dismissed herself shortly after these remarks, and the communications team retired for the night as well. There was a big day ahead of them, which would make or break the well-being of District 3.

Korra managed to sleep fairly well, all things considering, although she was still rather tense as she woke up the next morning, still worried about District 4 and the retribution the Capitol would deliver.

Akiyo joined her as she made her way to the conference room, and they were joined by Amy, Clove, Shigeru, Ikki, Crystal, Circuit, Aveline, and a few more individuals from Districts 2, 12, and 13. Members of the Capitol, such as Cressida, Junichi, Delun, and Cadence's old stylists, Kurai and Kuro, were also present. They waited a few minutes to see who else would show up, and were not terribly surprised to see people like Shishio, Kara, Lyndis, and Connor show up, although a few were surprised that Zelda and Roy, the two chosen tributes from District 9, were so adamant about staying involved.

"Everything you can tell us about '3, lay it on us." Fox opened up the show.

"If we take control of the place, we could shoot some mad propaganda," Cressida pointed out, "Junichi and I visited the place a few months before the 'games were to begin, and so we got the full scope of the place. It would be invaluable, both to wrench those resources from the Capitol, and to have them and those people in our hands.

"The place is run by backup generators," Ikki piped up, "but I can tell you how we could take out most of the main Peacekeeper bases of operation. If District 4 can take over their district without any help from Clove's 300 soldiers or the arsenal of District 13, then I think causing the right amount of chaos in District 3 would have the same effect."  
"The problem," Korra warned, "is that we need to make sure we have a firm grip on the place before moving on. If we don't watch over our own with vigilance, the Capitol will come in and make their move I tremble to think what's happening in District 4 right now because of what went down last night, but let that serve as a motivation for us to continue to fight the good fight, and to remind us that the sooner we can take control of our country, the sooner we will no longer have to worry about the wrath of a monstrous and oppressive Capitol preying on our fears and weaknesses!"

Korra's little speech was backed with passion that grew until she garnered applause from people in the room. Cressida smirked and turned to Mayor Dragmire.

"No wonder they chose this kid to lead the rebellion," she muttered amidst the applause, "she's a natural—and she puts every bit of emotion into her words."

"She's got the makings of a true leader." Dragmire agreed, "She shows conviction and genuine compassion and concern for those under her charge. That woman's a role model."

"Clove," Fox spoke up once the applause had died down, "are you willing to lead one of the initial forces into District 3?"  
"Absolutely," Clove nodded, "my soldiers are ready to fight if necessary, and we will be happy to help take the district, even if it requires force. We should size up our enemy though."  
"Indeed," Fox agreed, "Korra, you'll be coming too of course. We're not just going to race in like a bunch of raving lunatics."  
While the council had only just begun, Korra's heart was racing with excitement. This was it—the rebellion was actually happening for real at this point, and she was going to be at the helm of it. She really was the leader of the Mockingjay Rebellion.


	21. Chapter 21: Sights on District 3

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _I've finally gotten something of a grip on this story and so I know where it's going. As a result, I should be able to start producing chapters on a more regular basis from here on out, although don't hold me to that. My update schedule is still as erratic and unpredictable than ever, and I'd rather just say that up front than make promises I cannot keep. However, it is my policy to not abandon fic unless it's an extremely particular occasion, so the war will continue and we'll see the end of it.  
That said, Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 21: Sights on District 3**

The next couple of days were spent making preparations to invade District 3, with the rebellion's aim of minimizing damage and casualties taking a high priority in the way things went down. Korra was adamant about this aspect, and she served not only between the districts, but also between the soldiers and the victors, all of whom were battle-hardened warriors who had seen more bloodshed than most thus far. This mindset managed to garner a small handful of victors to join Korra's side, including Aveline, Vigo, Amy, Zenzi, Kozue, Shishio, Eli, Lyndis, Paige, Clove, Bethany, Ikki, Connor, Ian, and Resin. Others volunteered as well, but a lot of them were advised by President Fox to remain in District 13. The rebellion was not about to pour all of its forces into District 3 for this invasion for the same reason they did not put all of their eggs in one basket.

The day before they would move out, Shishio approached Korra during a bit of downtime.

"So have you talked to Lux and Cadence lately?" The fluffy-haired man turned to Korra.

"Does anyone talk to them?" Korra tilted her head, "I didn't think they spoke to anyone. Lux doesn't even talk, and Cadence hardly says more than a word or two."  
"Oh huh…" Shishio shrugged, "I talk with them a lot actually. You and I are the closest victors to 'em, after all. Cadence is from '94, and Lux from '95."

"You talk with those two?" Korra raised an eyebrow, "I've wanted to, but to be honest, they're kind of intimidating, even for me."

"Oh?" Shishio seemed contemplative. "Yeah, I talk with them sometimes. I think one of the biggest secrets to getting through to them is knowing how to approach them, and more importantly, knowing how to decipher what they're trying to say. Cadence sometimes kind of speaks for the two of them, but he's also the blunt one. Lux is the one that says all kinds of stuff."  
"What does she say?" Korra asked, "I'll admit that I don't understand most of her signs."  
"Yeah, that's definitely something to be careful of," Shishio chuckled, "she gets upset when people don't understand what she's trying to say. I think what they need is patience though. You should try warming up to them just to get to know them. After that I feel like they might be more inclined to interact."  
"Well, that's what I aim to do," Korra asserted, "A good leader needs to be relatable and well-liked by those under her command."  
"Just don't wear yourself out trying to please everyone," Shishio warned with a casual shrug, "but hey… we're still down for District 3 tomorrow, right?"  
"Of course," Korra assured him, "I'm glad to have you by my side, friend."

Preparations were finished about 12 hours before they scheduled the invasion, and so at this point it was basically just a matter of getting some sleep and resting up for the move the next morning.

However, early in the evening, there was a disruption in the communications room that soon drew the attention of Korra, Amy, Clove, Fox, Akiyo, Kolton, and everyone in between. Romula Snow had found them, it seemed—for her face was on every screen.

"Greetings, District 14." She began, "Yes, I know of District 14. It's a wonderful place this time of year, wouldn't you say, Ms. Francisco?"

Korra froze, watching this woman and internally wishing she could scream.

"I heard about your exploits in District 12 the day you decided to cancel my Hunger Games. At this point I cannot help but applaud you for a job well done. Who would have thought that there were traitors among my Peacekeepers and that those loyal to Panem would not be enough to stand against the treacherous rebellion that has been birthed by District 13?"

Romula might not have been able to see directly into the District 13 Communications Room, but she had gotten the attention of everyone in the room with her words.

"Now, the funny thing is, is that after your little warning not to touch District 12, I actually agreed to it. I did not consent to you stealing my tributes from my Hunger Games, however, and so we sent a recovery team after them. Clearly they've failed. But even then, I was able to shake it off. I figured that there was no reason for District 13 and the Capitol to annihilate one another in a nuclear war, as President Fox would likely agree. However… then your rebellion went and broke the terms of your own peace treaty with this little stunt here in District 4…"

Romula shifted, and a screen behind her flicked on to reveal the chaos that District 4 was currently in at the moment. Peacekeepers were suppressing the rebellion there, and the name "Lilac Durango" is on the wanted list…"

An image of an auburn-haired girl strongly resembling Korra showed up on the screen, and Korra recognized it as the same girl that she had seen on her victory tour 7 years ago. Was she the one leading the rebellion in District 4?

"Anyways, as a result, I've seized full control of the district, and as a punishment and a reminder of what happens when you defy the Capitol, there are people being summarily executed as we speak. I'll be sure to send you footage of these details so you can plan your next moves accordingly. Don't worry though—there are plenty of people here, so you've got plenty of time before you should consider surrendering. I am a patient woman, Korra Francisco, and the Capitol is inexorable. Have a good night."  
With a sinisterly sweet smile, the screens flipped back off as Romula's face disappeared. Korra was visibly shaken and sank a little, her hands clutching the nearest surface tightly.  
"We… are on a time frame." Korra stuttered, trying to collect herself. "Men and women of District 14… tomorrow… we move on District 3!"

Inside, Korra was trembling. People in District 4 were dying because of her and her actions. Their blood was on her hands—or so Romula wanted her to believe. Unfortunately, it was working thus far.

Unsurprisingly, Korra couldn't sleep much that night, and even Akiyo couldn't really console her. He eventually concluded that there was probably only one person that could really know Korra, and so he went to find Kada.

"I'm scared about how much she might know," Korra shuddered, once it was just her and her brother in the compartment together. "She knows about Fox, she knows about District 14, she knows I'm the one leading it, and there's no telling what else she knows or how long she's known it. I know she's trying to get to me, Kada… but she's doing it right."

"Then tomorrow, let's do it for them." Kada put a hand on her shoulder, "The sooner we can take control of District 3, the sooner we can use those resources to push forward. We will carve our way through Panem and rid it of the Capitol's power and influence once and for all. Remember—you're doing it for them."

These were the words that stuck with Korra that evening as she finally fell asleep. When she woke up the next morning, she wasted no time in making preparations to go with the soldiers that were flying out to District 3. Many of the former tributes and victors from the would-be 100th Annual Hunger Games were going with them, and as such, Amy and Korra were surprised when 48 boys, girls, men, and women stood before them, with Kara and Shishio at the helm.

"We got Lux and Cadence," Shisho grinned, "and a certain someone or two might have managed to convince the other 44 of us to come along."

Kara smiled. She did not take credit for what Shishio had just claimed, but it was clear that the 48 tributes were here for the fight as well.

"And none of you are worried?" Amy looked surprised, "death is a likely outcome for us once the actual fighting starts. Sure we want to minimize casualties, but that doesn't mean we all leave alive."  
"Of course we're worried," Roy admitted, "keep in mind that just under a week ago we were all about to get shipped off to a death arena where we'd have to murder each other. This is just the 100th Annual Hunger Games all over for us."  
"May the odds be ever in our favor." Zelda quipped.

Korra paused, before an affectionate smile crept up onto her lips as she saw these tributes and victors united in a cause like no group of such different people had ever been in Panem's history. These were tributes that had gotten to known each other over the last three weeks, and had somehow nearly all formed powerful bonds of friendship. She hoped that they would all survive, from the twin children of District 12's mayor all the way up to the horrifically traumatized District 2 sibling victors.

"Time's a wastin'." Shishio quipped, "to the hovercrafts!"  
Korra and Amy joined the tributes as they entered a hangar loaded with about a dozen of the machines. They boarded one, watching as Clove's soldiers split into four groups and took four more. The remaining ones were filled with soldiers from District 13 and even a few from District 12; a sizable contingent, but still one that left plenty of soldiers back in '12 and '13 to keep them safe.

Korra was not the only one with an adrenaline rush as they flew off towards District 3, knowing that they would either liberate it or die trying. The war had begun.


	22. Chapter 22: The Battle of District 3

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _and now the action begins for real. There's an actual battle that goes down here and the struggle will likely be detailed in this chapter as well as the next. I don't need to ramble too much about it, since the title of the chapter as well as the location that it takes place in all give away where we are and what district the rebellion is attempting to capture. Some districts will be harder than others though, particularly depending on their loyalty to the Capitol._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 22: The Battle of District 3**

It only took them a couple hours to reach the outskirts of District 3, where their radar scanners revealed to them the least-guarded areas of the district. Ikki and Shigeru led the charge, where they landed without much fanfare in a remote corner of the district that looked like an abandoned quadrant. Old structures and pieces of machinery were still present, but were overgrown with plants and other signs of nature reclaiming her own. It was not nearly as prominent as the surface of District 13, but it was not like the district cities had all remained stagnant for the last 99 years. They grew or shrank, fluctuating with the needs and wants of their people and the Capitol. This was no exception.

"The first place we need to get to is the mayor's house and the victor village," Ikki pointed out, "I think our soldiers from '12 and '13 would be best suited for this job if you ask me."  
"Why's that?" Korra looked a little skeptical."  
"First off, this is just reconnaissance," Ikki pointed out, "and secondly, everyone recognizes you. If we were all as rebellious as District 12 that would be okay, but the moment a loyalist Peacekeeper sniffs you out, the Capitol is going to be all over us."

"It makes sense," one of Clove's soldiers spoke up, "Have someone a little less recognizable go in, and alert the people of '3 on what's about to go down. The problem is that that means no victors."  
"I think we can still send tributes though," Korra suggested, "someone who can figure the lay of this place easily enough, and alert the rest of us regarding it."  
"Your primary targets," Shigeru began, "should be mayor Ratchet O'Neil and victor Chip Sangster, and in that order. "We're going to need places to stay. I don't imagine this is going to be a day-long war."  
"We'll get communications going here," Akiyo spoke up, "you'll be surprised at how much of this equipment we can get to work."

"Every little bit helps," Korra nodded, as Roy and Zelda stepped up as volunteers to accompany the soldiers in a brief "tour" of District 3. Only a small number of them went, and the others got comfortable but stayed wary in the meantime. There was no telling what could happen.

During this downtime some of the rebellion members, including the Mockingjay herself, explored the surrounding area. There wasn't really much to see for a while, but eventually, some of them came across old greenhouses and the remains of a generator. Of course, they called others over to investigate it, and the results were actually somewhat surprising.

"I remember hearing about this," Surge commented, "it was a few years back—before my time, actually. This was the collaboration between District 3 and District 5 to make a more portable but powerful generator. The Capitol apparently scrapped it because they didn't want the districts interacting with one another or something like that."  
"It was in my time, and that's exactly right," Bethany explained, "at least, the District 5 part of the story is. Is there anyone from '3 that can confirm?"  
"It fits the narrative I remember," Ian spoke up, "of course, it was all very hush-hush. Fortunately for us, the Capitol doesn't exactly know how to keep secrets from the wiliest of us here in '3."  
"Are you saying that people here are kind of expecting us?" Korra asked.

"Aye," Ian smirked, "so hopefully our friends won't be too long. In the meantime, anyone from '3 or '5 that wants to try and help with this thing should come over here. We might be able to salvage this for our needs—or for when shit hits the fan."

"Everyone else," Amy spoke up, "start setting up. We're going to be here a while—definitely at least a few days, depending on how quickly we can seize this place. We'll keep a firm grip on as much of the area as we can, so we can work into District 8 and then District 11. We'll go to that point."

Most of the others began setting up a little base here, trying not to be too conspicuous lest a Capitol drone or hovercraft flew overhead and spotted them. There were trees out here, a contrast to the mostly urban central city area of the district. It was clear that this place was not frequented by very many people, if any at all, which meant that it would stay out of sight and out of mind in the eyes of most. That was what the rebellion sought. The less attention their little base received, the less likely the Capitol was going to strike it.

It was later that evening that two things were accomplished. The small crew that ventured into the district returned, with a strategic map of District 3, signed by Chip Sangster and Ratchet O'Neil, as a symbol of their support towards the efforts.

"They're planning to muster up citizens and soldiers for the rebellion whenever it's ready," the leader of the division of District 13 soldiers reported, "As soon as our troops are ready to make their move, they want us to let them know. We march at your command, Mockingjay."

"Give us a day or so to figure this out," Korra noted, "we need to learn of the strategic points in the district and get as much out of this map as possible."

The next several hours into the evening were spent strategizing, and a communications line was set up between Chip, Ratchet, and District 14. The objective was to take the district by storm similar to how rebels and soldiers from District 13 and District 12 had managed to take over District 12 before the Capitol would muster soldiers to react. By late in the evening, they were ready to attack.

Members of the communications teams helped alert the mayor and the victors, who began to quietly spread the word. They told about 5 people, who then told five more people, and this effective chain of spreading the word helped most people become aware of what was about to go down that night. Soldiers and citizens moved into positions, ready to do something that was considered alarmingly rare in Panem: they were going to knock the power out in District 3.

The issue here was that there were backup generators, since a lot of District 3's industry involved electronics and computers and so even despite their distance from District 5 and the Capitol, they were considered a "high-priority" district. Even if they were successful at knocking out the power, they knew that their time to move would be short-lived.

Regardless, they still struck late into the night, and warfare broke out. Peacekeepers began pouring in and shooting at the rebellion soldiers, who naturally shot back. The first buildings they seized were the backup generators and associated facilities, and then they began attacking the primary power converter facilities. Here they were a lot less concerned about collateral damage, as the backup generators could keep the district running. Korra and Amy took refuge in one of these buildings alongside several powerful soldiers. Clove's 300 soldiers were roughly divided between about three or four of these backup facilities, where they seized the equipment and turned the buildings into defensive citadels. A few of the more technologically savvy soldiers from District 13 attempted to set up communications with their main base, which could then relay the messaged back to District 13 itself where the rebellion had made their headquarters.

Similar to the attack on District 12, the Capitol was soon responding with hovercrafts. Sirens went off in District 3 and there were warnings for people to take cover, because it was clear what was going on—this was likely going to be a bombing raid. Korra did not make her location known, but managed to make communications with Fox about the status of things.

"We've seized the main power generators as well as the backups," she explained, "The Capitol is coming in and dropping bombs though. We need reinforcements and anti-air defenses, stat."  
"On our way," Fox nodded, "Korra, remain low and do not give away your position. It's not fighting if you're dodging Capitol bombs, so don't feel bad if you have to sit this one out."  
"Roger," Korra sighed, knowing Laurel Fox was right. She hoped that everyone heeded the evacuation call and found shelter, because she knew that even her strongest guns were not likely to do much damage to hovercrafts on their own. Many of the Peacekeepers had already fallen and it seemed that the rebels had lodged themselves firmly in their shelters. Despite these new bombings by the Capitol, they had an edge.

The edge also extended to the little base. Ikki and some others had helped get the small but powerful generator up and running, and so while large swathes of the district were currently out of power, the rebellion's base still had it, and they used a combination of radar jammers and cloaking devices to loosely mask their location. It was only a matter of time before the Capitol discovered it anyways. They simply had to hope for the best and hope that the anti-aircraft support came quickly and ended the Capitol's free range of bombs and mortars they were currently pummeling the place with. Even with all of that in mind, however, one other thing was crystal clear: The Battle of District 3 had begun.


	23. Chapter 23: Technology Secured

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _While this fic might go through small droughts here and there, I'm not so much uninspired as much as just trying to juggle a lot of writing projects at the moment, and don't want to cancel or officially postpone any of them. I've made remarkable progress on "The Silent Dragons" and "The Victors' Chronicles" and those have admittedly taken up most of my writing time lately. Whatever the case, here's the next chapter, where we get to finally see what becomes of District 3..._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 23: Technology Secured**

Korra and the hundreds of soldiers and citizens taking shelter in some of the largest and most durable buildings of District 3 covered their ears as they heard the bombs pounding the city and district. The noises seemed to be coming from most of the same areas, as if the Capitol was targeting particular areas and trying to avoid certain other ones. She was fairly certain that there was a pattern here that she just didn't know about.

"I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure there is important technology around here that they don't want to lose," Amy suggested, "which reminds me—keep your weapons close. Odds are some of these hovercrafts are going to have more military personnel and Peacekeepers, likely with the intent of flushing us out. Not all of these ships are bombers. Some are likely transports."

"Keep communications lines as active as we can without it becoming a detriment," Korra ordered, "if Capitol soldiers are going to start pouring into the district, we need to have adequate ways of fending them off. If they seize any bases or important buildings, we might lose our grip on the district and that's a setback we can't afford—especially not this early in the game where we've only got a real foothold in two districts."  
"Especially considering that one of them rebelled over 100 years ago, and the other one didn't have a single loyalist in its borders that wasn't a Peacekeeper," Amy reminded her.

It did not take long before reports of Capitol soldiers storming the district came in. Clove's soldiers as well as the District 13 troops were the ones that managed the communication lines, as to not give away any information as to where Korra was hidden. The rebellion knew that Korra was the primary target, and so the longer they could keep the Capitol guessing, the more of an advantage they would retain.

What ended up happening next was essentially a collection of sieges. The Capitol brought great deals of troops and vehicles into the district, besieging areas where the rebels were holed up, and even mortaring some of the areas. The rebels hid behind the technology the Capitol sought to protect, and after a few hours of searching the building while several of the soldiers provided cover, Korra and Amy both learned why.

"We're in the Communications Center." Amy exclaimed, "the loyalists must be using this hub. to help stab the rebellion in the back."  
"How do they do that if we're the only ones in here?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Because this is the hub," Shigeru explained, "inter-district communications go through here and are routed to other places. Unless they're using walkie-talkies, soldiers on one side of the district are not going to be able to communicate with their troops far enough away without it going through here."  
"So obviously…" Amy began, figuring that Shigeru would finish the sentence, and thus being unsurprised when he did.

"So obviously that means we need to hijack this place proper." Shigeru replied, "Disrupt their communications, stay in touch with Ratchet and the base, and keep the Capitol in the dark regarding out actions. We need to use the chaos to our advantage, and before we know it we'll be able to rout the Capitol forces from this place and take it for our own."  
"He's right, you know." Korra seconded Shigeru's remarks. "While he might be logically biased in favor of his home district, he's right about the importance of a victory here. District 3 is where we will either gain a foothold in this war or we will lose the small foothold we already have. If '3 falls, they will take District 12. If the Capitol captures or destroys District 12, it's over."

While the Capitol continued to pound the buildings the rebels were holed up in with mortars, the wily citizens of District 3 were working on one of the many reasons that they were often considered viable contenders for or as part of the career pack. With Chip's help, Ratchet devised a bold but risky scheme to help the rebels.

Essentially, what ended up happening was the citizens rushed the Peacekeepers from behind, mimicking what Zerlinda had done in the Tribute Tower. After one or two of the citizens had seized the weapons, they began gunning down the others, and granting more weapons to the wary citizens, who had caught the military forces off-guard. Casualties sprang up on both sides, but once the focus was two-sided, the rebels returned the favor to the citizens by pouring out of the buildings and attacking the Peacekeepers. Korra was right in there with them, and since Shigeru and a few other tech experts had disabled communications among District 3 for the Capitol, the soldiers could not inform their peers about Korra's location. They were able to transmit it to Romula briefly, but Korra also proved to be remarkably adept with the rocket-propelled grenade launcher she was wielding. A fleet of hovercrafts came in for reinforcements, but a well-placed shot slammed into the engine of one of the crafts, which staggered to the right and knocked its neighbor out of the sky. To add insult to injury, both crafts ended up crashing and exploding over a fleet of ground military vehicles, doing serious damage.

Korra was a formidable leader by herself, and while she was great for morale, she was also heavily targeted by the Capitol. She and her troops managed to take out almost all of the assailants that were trying to recapture the Communications Center, but as they picked off the final stragglers, Korra was shot in the arm. She staggered backwards, losing control of her weapon, which was thankfully not loaded at the time. She was vulnerable, but Clove's soldiers backed her up while Amy took out the shooter with a well-aimed sniper shot.

"Anyone else good with an RPG here?" Korra spat as she was dragged to safety and wrapped up her arm, "because I see hovercrafts on the horizon."

Sure enough, more hovercrafts were coming, and Shishio recognized them as bombers.

"Where the hell are those reinforcements we were promised?" one of the soldiers cursed under her breath. It had been a while since they had requested backup from the base on the outskirts of the districts, and so by rights they should have already been here.

Whatever the case, the battle raged on into another day. By this point it was mostly just guerilla warfare as the rebels tried to sabotage the Capitol and the Capitol soldiers attempted to sabotage the rebels. The reinforcements stopped coming as the 2nd evening drew upon them, and it was clear that the Capitol was about to accept their loss. Still, it seemed that despite their loss of morale, the remaining military and Peacekeeping forces were determined to go down after wreaking as much havoc as possible. Nothing was sacred to them anymore, and any rounds and mortars they could find were launched, no longer with any regard to what the buildings might contain.

While Korra spent the 1st evening and most of the 2nd day out of commission due to her arm, she went back into combat later that evening.

"I spent most of the day resting up." She asserted, "I'm not going to sit around idly while dozens of soldiers die trying to defend me."

Korra was too stubborn to talk out of it, and so she helped the remaining members of District 14 clean house and ultimately make it clear that the rebellion was going to capture District 3. Sure enough, by mid-afternoon, the remaining Peacekeepers and Capitolite soldiers had surrendered or been killed, and so as the District 14 soldiers returned to the base, they took the remaining enemies as prisoners of war.

It was only after there was some semblance of order restored to the districts that a survey of the damage was taken. While a good number of District 12 and 13 soldiers were killed in the fray, all 300 of Clove's soldiers managed to miraculously survive. Most of the other tributes and victors were injured, but none of the damages were too severe barring Korra's right arm. Amy was one of the few who escaped unscathed.

"Mockingjay to Fox," Korra chimed into District 13 from the rebel base in District 3, "I repeat, this is Mockingjay to President Fox. We have taken District 3. Current casualties include 21 soldiers from District 12; 156 from District 13, and so far 519 Capitol casualties. The current state of the district is mostly intact. The bombers seemed remarkably sparse."  
"Fox to Mockingjay," District 13 replied, "We have received the report. We apologize for not being able to send more aerial support as you requested. Fortunately, we were able to circumvent the district and prevent the bombers from ever reaching you. However, this cost us our ability to lend you that aid."

"Understood," Korra nodded, "now I request troops to help support the rebuilding efforts and to help the citizens of the district form a garrison against further Capitol harassment."

"That's something I can certainly do," Fox replied, "you've done well, Mockingjay. Bring your friends and your soldiers home. My men will handle it from here."  
"Roger that," Korra acknowledged, "over and out."  
Korra heaved a sigh of relief. The last three days had been hectic and insane; full of war and violence and explosions among other things. However, the result was admirable, and Korra smiled as she let the thought slip in. The rebellion was gaining momentum. District 12 was no longer the only district under District 14's control. The Mockingjay Rebellion had now captured and secured District 3.


	24. Chapter 24: The War Council Resumes

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _I know this probably seems a bit out of the blue, but hey, I had to do it eventually. Updating on this story will be slightly sporadic, but like the rest of my stories, I still retain an interest in finishing it, and thus will do so sooner or later. The rebellion must succeed after all, and thus they must make their next move. Just some food for thought._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 24: The War Council Resumes**

Upon returning to District 13, Korra was unable to talk herself out of medical treatment for her arm, which nearly became infected. The medics in the District 3 warzone had been able to patch it up and prevent her bleeding out or it from getting infected, but the finest technicians were back at the rebellion headquarters and so they kept her down as they healed her up.

"It's either this or we amputate your right arm," Kada quipped, "seriously, baby sister, I know you're about as enthusiastic about this rebellion as any of us here, but I think you gravely underestimate just how important you are to these efforts."  
"I'm just a symbol," Korra shrugged, "they can find another leader if I die. My main goal was just to make the rebellion happen, and considering that we've got two districts under our control in less than 3 months, I think we're doing a damn good job."  
"No," Kada corrected her, "you're more than just a symbol, Korra. You're a leader. As much as I understand you most of the time, even I don't fully get what it is about you, but you have this charm to you that makes people want to follow you. There's being a leader, and then there's being a natural leader. You're a natural leader, Korra, and that's why people rally behind you. You treat people as equals, regardless of rank or origin. You see their strengths and help them compensate for their weaknesses and shortcomings. The level of motivation you display is outstanding. I know I probably sound like I'm just buttering you up, but tell me something—has your older brother ever kissed your ass? Or anyone's ass, for that matter?"

"Okay, okay, no; no you haven't. What a lovely mental image to put in my head."  
"I'm sure you wouldn't be saying that if Aikyo made the offer," Kada elbowed her good arm, causing Korra to go a furious shade of embarrassed red.

"Shut it." She pouted. "Anyways, I want to be alerted of any and all war briefings as long as you're keeping me in this thrice-damned infirmary. If I cannot take part in the decision-making or troop-leading I wish to at least remain informed as to what's happening."  
"Ha," a voice from the door laughed, "do you really think that they could keep you away even if they wanted to?" the door slid open and Amy's tiny figure walked into the room, "and speaking of asses, Kada, yours is almost as nice as your sister's, so I wouldn't say a word. Anyways…" she turned to Korra, "nice work out there, kid. I think a lot of our next efforts will be doubling down on the security in District 12 and District 3 so that we don't lose our holds there, so odds are we won't be doing much fighting."  
"We can't waste too much time though," Korra warned, "I don't think Romula was kidding about District 4, and they shouldn't have to suffer because of our inaction."  
"I'm sure that '4 will give the Capitol hell the longer the Capitol tries to harass 'em," Amy riposted, "they're a hardy bunch. If anything, I half expect that they're going to try and give up loyalists whose pleas will fall on deaf ears. If they play their cards right they could actually use it to their advantage."  
"Still…" another voice invaded the room, this time belonging to Clove, "whatever District 4 decides to do or not do, I don't think they're going to keep you in here too long, Francisco. You're important, and we want to pass the decisions by you before we carry them through. If we don't we're all pretty sure you'd bitch at us till you were blue in the face and shriller than Lucina when she sings."

"Well that's good to know," Korra retorted, "because I was ready to get out of here the moment I walked in. We need to plan our next move. I doubt that Romula will kindly wait around for us to take our turn before she retaliates. The more districts we take, the harder this will become."

"Debatable," Amy pointed out as Korra rose to her feet, "if we can manage to garner and muster rebels from each district we take, we will be able to spread our forces a little more evenly. I think this is something we need to address before the others though."  
"Right," Korra nodded, and she followed Amy, Kada, and Clove back into the main conference room where the heads of the rebellion were already working to make their next move.

"Ah," there was a man there that Korra did not recognize. And beside him was a younger girl. "The Mockingjay graces us with her presence."  
"Is that sarcasm I sense?" Korra raised an eyebrow.

"None whatsoever," the man replied, "I am merely a District 13 operative that has recently been invited to attend this meeting alongside my daughter. We heard what happened in District 3, and so it is good to see that you are able to join us while still retaining full use of your arm."  
"So who are you, exactly? And who's the girl?" Korra's words were curious, but others around her understood how much they relied on her, and so they let her speak.

"I am Zayan Kjelle," the man replied, "The woman at my side is my daughter Layla. She is not much of one for words, but she's a fighter pilot of the highest caliber here in '13."  
"They are the reason we were not bombed to oblivion during the battle in District 3," Fox pointed out, "we tried to send aerial reinforcements, but you've heard that story dozens of times by now."  
"Aye," Korra nodded, "but perhaps that should be for another time. I'm here now because we need to discuss our next battle plan. We are on a timeline here as long as Romula has a grip on District 4. The longer we wait, the more of them are going to die."

"So tell us," President Fox began, "what did you have in mind?"

"I'm still on board with going after District 8," Korra noted, "the Capitol likely expects it, but if we bring in a great deal of forces, we might be able to heavily cripple them if we play our cards right. I want to get Romula's attention off of District 4 as soon as possible and as much as possible."

"But shouldn't we try surprise attacks when we can capitalize off of them?" Clove pointed out, "maybe that's just my own assassination techniques being realized here, but I feel like if we can catch the Capitol off guard somewhere else, that we can have the edge on them and hit them before they can hit us back. I'm not trying to be too contrarian here, but the Mockingjay wants us to try and preserve lives. Wouldn't it make sense to go for a district like '11 first instead?"

"Think about it this way," Kolton pointed out, "because of District 11's industry, I imagine the Capitol is going to have a more serious hold on them than they do on District 8. I understand that they take their fashion seriously, but District 8 is continually a thorn in their side."

"To me that just seems like more of a reason to go for '11 first," Clove pointed out, "let '8 continue harassing the Capitol while we go in and pick off District 11."  
"The only problem there," Amy pointed out, "would be that the Capitol could use '8 as a vantage point, rebels or not. If we were able to successfully take '11, we could easily capture '8 in a pincer attack from District 3 and District 11, but during the fight for '11, we'd have to watch for reinforcements in that district, as well as the ones from '8. The problem with ignoring District 8 is that the Capitol is used to sending heavy reinforcements there, who could easily come down south to aid their comrades if we made too much progress. I feel like District 8 needs to be removed."  
"Which do you suppose is more effective in the long run?" Korra asked, "Clove, while I am still leaning towards an attack in District 8, know that your input is important. I'm not going to tell you to sacrifice your soldiers in a war that you don't feel comfortable with."  
"Ha, don't worry about me or my girls," Clove laughed, "okay… maybe Isabela, but even she and the rest of them aren't afraid to die. I just want to punch some Capitol skulls in. If you really want to go through with this District 8 business, I'd say we go all in. Strike hard and strike fast, and seize the place. From there, we can use the forces from '3, '8, and '12 to bear down on '11 and crush it easily. Remember, with District 12 on our sides, we've got them as assets. They're manic fighters, y'know."

"Are we all in favor of this?" Korra asked to those in the room. There was a general consensus this time. "Then this is what we're going to do. Fox; Kazera, we need to begin preparations for move on District 8 as soon as is reasonably possible. The sooner we can get this going, the better."

The council adjourned and the rebellion got to work. Their last battle had been a success, but now it was time for them to start preparing their next move…


	25. Chapter 25: The Proposal

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _I apologize for the lengthy hiatus on this story. First NaNoWriMo happened, then a writer's block and the holiday season happened. Anyways, this chapter has a major development for a couple of characters, and also sets us up for the battle that is inevitably going to happen in District 8 sooner rather than later. I won't ramble too much though. There's a story to tell._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 25: The Proposal**

No one was really sure how well a battle in District 8 was going to go, but despite that, most people in District 13 assumed that it would go well. With District 3 at their sides, and the solid support from District 13 and District 12 still pouring in, they figured they actually stood a chance.

"The weirdest thing is that the Capitol has not given the district any further military support since our last attack on District 3," Kolton pointed out to Korra during a briefing, "If anything, reports on Peacekeeper presence and activity is actually down."  
"That's hard to believe," Korra shook her head, "we'll definitely have to look into it. We should probably take a similar approach to the district the way we did in District 3. We need to act swiftly though—the people of District 4 are depending on our success at this point considering the grip that Romula has over the place. The thought of all of those people dying…" she trailed off, her fists clenching.

"Either way," Clove pointed out, "it's for the best if we start making preparations sooner rather than later. I've still got dossiers for all of my soldiers, all of which somehow managed to survive the battle in '3. Commander Kazera's not out of commission yet."

"Pfft, you're not even old," Korra snorted, "come back to me when you're Fox's age—or at least when you're 60 like Lucas."

"He's 57; I'm 41," Clove quipped. "But we can bicker about age and youth later. For now, I'd say go around and get an idea of who we're going to bring on this mission. Obviously we don't need to throw our entire army at each district, even if Fox would allow it."

Korra went straight to Fox after she and Clove parted ways, and suggested a brief scout of the district by some of the stealthier soldiers '13 could afford to send that way. Fox was on it immediately.

"We should have results by this evening," she promised, "with access to District 3, getting into '8 will be a picnic—especially if the reports of decreased Peacekeeper activity are true."

The notion that the Capitol had decreased the amount of military presence in District 8 remained a concern for Korra though, and she addressed it with Akiyo. Incidentally, his response was not what she expected to hear at all.

"You know what I think you should do?" he told her, "I think you should find Lux and get to know her."  
"Why?" Korra tilted her head, "she can't even talk herself, and she hates everyone."

"That's exactly the reason why," Akiyo chuckled, "first off, it takes you out of your comfort zone, but secondly, that's how Cadence got to know her."

"I don't exactly see how this will be useful when we're preparing for war…" Korra's brow furrowed, "But if you say so, I guess I'll give it a try."

Finding Lux was tricky enough, but as strong as Korra thought she was, the beautiful woman in front of her gave her such a menacing glare that for a moment she genuinely thought that Lux was going to eviscerate her on the spot.

"I… don't want to bother you…" Korra raised her hands around eye-level. Lux shrugged and gestured towards the door in response.

"I do want to get to know you though." Korra slowly lowered her hands as she lowered her voice. "we could use someone of your talents—remember why we're here, Lux. We're fighting against the same Capitol that destroyed your life just as it destroyed mine. I'll put it bluntly—we need you, and we need Cadence." She was about to pause, but noticed a sour look that Lux had suddenly shot her, and so decided to continue.

"Lux…" Korra sighed, sitting next to the taller woman, "the Capitol used me too. The first 17 years of my life were dedicated to training for the sole purpose of volunteering for the Hunger Games. Why? Because I wanted to bring glory to my district and earn approval in the Capitol's eyes. I played their games. I watched my friends die, and I brutally murdered my enemies just as you did. The blood of boys and girls whose only crime was getting their name chosen by a lottery is on my hands. Do you want to know how the Capitol rewarded me? They threw me the same ceremony they throw everyone, and then after my victory tour I was old news. No one cared about what I suffered, just like they didn't with Cadence, or with you, or anyone before or after us."  
Lux tilted her head and raised her nose and eyebrows with curiosity, wondering what Korra was getting at. Her arms and one of her legs remained crossed.

"I, umm…" Korra scratched the crown of her head as she attempted to hurriedly mentally decipher what Lux was trying to say, "What I'm saying is that I can relate to you. But more than that, I just want to be your friend; a leader you can look up to without fear of someone manipulating you for their own gain. I'm not the leader of this revolution by choice. I am here because I was placed here, and so I'm doing the best I can to try and make things right."

Before she could say more, the door slid open and Cadence stood there, his hands in his pockets. He froze when he saw Korra.

"What are you doing here?" he glared at her with the same suspicion Lux offered when Korra had first stepped in. Korra raised her eyebrow but stood firm.

"I was talking to Lux." She explained, "I just wanted to get to know her better—I want to be a leader that she—and you, really—can look up to."

"And how do you feel about this, Lux?" Cadence turned to the golden-haired woman. Lux nodded, turned to Korra, and nodded again before curling one corner of her lip. Korra actually gasped as she saw Lux give something resembling a smile for the first time.

"If Lux trusts you, then I will too." Cadence stated. "I'll be honest—I did not expect to see you here—or anyone in our room, frankly."

"This isn't some sort of mission for the rebellion or anything," Korra explained, "A friend of mine told me I should try to get to know you two, and said it'd be good for me."  
"Socializing isn't really our thing," Cadence explained, "especially not for Lux, since most of the people in this prison cell are idiots who couldn't understand body language if it slapped them across the face. You really didn't need to come and try to mozy up to us for us to respect you. We've respected you and your friends for a while now."  
"My friends?" Korra glanced at the younger man, "I don't have this terribly vast list or anything…"  
"The other victors," Cadence corrected her, "your mentor Amy, those that came before her, those who came after Lux… even a lot of the kids that escaped the Capitol with us. You've got strong men and women supporting you. We've respected you enough until now. Now I can truthfully say you have my support. I'm sure Lux would say the same."

Lux actually nodded in agreement.

"Anyways," Cadence turned back to Korra, "I was expecting Lux and I to be alone when I returned here, because I have something for her."

"I can leave if you want." Korra stood up to go for the door.

"it's up to you," Cadence shrugged one shoulder, before turning back to Lux, his hands in his pockets again. "Lux… I want to tell you something."  
Lux stared curiously at Cadence, remaining seated on the edge of her bed as Cadence stood in front of her. She crossed her arms again and rested them on her lap.

"I know this is hardly the place to make it seem worthy of a woman like you," Cadence seemed either unaware or unconcerned about Korra's presence in the corner of the room, "but we're in a war and there's a chance one or both of us might not survive it. You deserve better than this dungeon and my rather unglamourous presentation, but my hands are tied."

Cadence pulled his hands out of his pockets and presented Lux with a box bearing an ornate golden ring.

"Marry me, Lux." His normally pale-skinned face was flushed with red, "I would rather say it now than as one of us is clutching the other's hand in a final goodbye."

Lux let out an audible gasp—something of a surprise considering her typical silence. She obviously could not verbally accept, but her actions made it clear that she accepted Cadence's proposal completely and immediately. Korra smiled gingerly as she watched the event go down, but was a little surprised at who she found next to her a moment later.

"It's about time," the voice grunted. Korra glanced beside her and noticed Amy. "I don't even think they notice we're here." Lux and Cadence were locked in a tight embrace, the expressions on their faces saying everything one could ever want to know about how they felt at this particular moment.

"Don't tell me you set this up," Korra frowned.

"Me?" Amy laughed, "Not a chance. You just got lucky. I'm not one for teaching life lessons or any of that nonsense. If I want to teach someone something I'll tell it right to their face. Still… there's something to be gained from this."  
Korra nodded silently in agreement. Even with the war raging on around them, it seemed that even the coldest and most dour people could still recognize and experience joy. Korra would not want to deprive them of that for the world.


	26. Chapter 26: The Taking of District 8

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _I've been in something of a major funk with my writing altogether, and so I apologize for how long it took to get this chapter out. The rebellion finally moves out to District 8, and while they're at it, Romula Snow is hatching schemes of her own. There's a wild ride ahead of us here, so strap in and prepare yourself._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 26: The Taking of District 8**

While it was clear that Cadence and Lux wanted a wedding of some sort, and that President Fox promised to make it happen, they weren't about to just drop everything and have it here and now.

"As much as the idea appeals to us," Cadence mentioned to Korra in passing, "we've got districts to save, and some Capitol fuckers to rip the throats out of. We'll get married when we can."

"I… am glad you feel that way," Korra forced a smile. Even with them warming up a little to her, she still found their extremely violent and sadistic tendencies to be rather unnerving. They were not cruel, per se, but it was clear that they had no moral qualms with murder and placed very little value on life apart from those of one another.

"Hey now," Amy reasoned, "as long as they're not killing allies and calling it collateral, you should probably just let them do their thing."  
"Fair enough," Korra concurred. "I suppose we should get back to our plans to move in on District 8 then. The longer we wait, the more people die—particularly in District 4…"  
District 4's plight was still gnawing at the back of Korra's mind, and she knew that Romula was playing mind games with her that she was winning. That did not sit well with the Mockingjay.

Mobilizing the forces to attack District 8 was similar to District 3, except there were far more rebels in the district, which were ready to help. In fact, an oddity that Korra and her armies noticed upon arrival was that there seemed to just be a basic contingent or two of Peacekeepers. Romula did not seem as interested in this district as she did in District 3.

"Stay wary," Kolton warned from HQ, citing that this could very well be a trap. Some of the team members had cameras to help the operatives in District 13 know what was going on and where they could send support if necessary, and Korra was one of many that had communications devices attached to her so she could interact with her fellow officers back at the base.

"Don't worry," Shishio assured them, "We've got this."

While it seemed like a bold and somewhat silly statement to make, Shishio was actually right. As they moved in and started to storm the district, they noticed that Peacekeepers yielded and surrendered far easier than they had expected. The rebellion was not the only one with cameras in District 8—or any of the other districts, for that matter.

Romula watched the scene unfold, turning to her chief advisors, Arkando and Jocasta. The former of these two looked skeptical as he watched the rebels storm through District 8 with minimal resistance.

"Ms. President," Arkando turned to Romula, "I do not mean this rudely or in the improper way, but are you just going to let this rebellion waltz through your districts and claim them as its own?"

"Oh no, dear," Romula cooed, "This was an extremely calculated move on my part. I rounded up some of my Peacekeeping force and asked them a very simple question—one that I ask anyone who dwells in the Capitol at this point."  
Arkando and Jocasta did not reply to this, but their eyes were fixed on the president, wondering what she was going to say. Romula Snow was something of a wildcard in the eyes of some of the other authorities that worked under her. Her grandfather Coriolanus had been much more ruthless and direct. By contrast, Romula's methods seemed very slippery and roundabout—but so far had proven to be remarkably effective.

"I asked them if they supported the rebellion. I posed it plainly; promised that there would be no punishment for those that defected. Those that came forward, one by one, were promoted to chief officers in District 8 and then sent there."  
"This is all just a ruse?" Jocasta gasped.

"Aye," Romula smirked, "these Peacekeepers are unenthusiastic and therefore useless members of my army. If they want to donate themselves as meat shields for Ms. Francisco's rebellion, then by all means, let them. If I start executing my own soldiers, what does that say about me other than that I'm a paranoid tyrant? When I am trying to gain the trust and popularity of my peers, I will do so in a way that instills trust rather than fear. However, when I need unwavering loyalty… I will simply remind people that there is nothing in the world they love more than they fear me."  
"Ms. Snow…" Jocasta pointed out, "How will you do that if you are allowing the Mockingjay to deliberately waltz through District 8 and claim it?"  
Romula turned her head towards a large television screen that she flipped on. Footage of the 77th Annual Hunger Games played, where it showed the career pack about to turn on little Ikki Ortolani.

"Do you know who this is?" she asked rhetorically, before continuing under the assumption that Arkando and Jocasta knew the answer.

"This is Ikki Susanna Ortolani—an unremarkable child barely a day older than 12, who outsmarted seven boys and girls much older, bigger, and stronger than her." Romula continued, "She played their games; let them think that she was submitting to them, and it made them careless. We all know how this game ends…" She pressed the play button, where Ikki set off her infamous trap that fried all seven of the other career tributes in the upset of a century and ended the games.

"My strikes against the rebellion will be strong and fierce," she went on, "but most of all, if things go as planned, they will not see them coming. District 8 is full of rebels, and clinging to it is not in my best interests for this war when I need more formidable suppliers. I suppose tragedy will strike some of the populace who will lament their loss of fabrics and materials to make the latest fashion statements with… but I dare say there are few things that strike me as more professional than business suits. Whatever the case, it is no matter. Let them take District 8 and relish their victory. It will make dropping bombs on them a lot easier, after all…"

There would likely be some slight collateral in the event that some of the few who were loyal to the Capitol that remained in District 8 would fall victim to one or more of Romula's bombs, but the rebels would suffer far more for it. As the Mockingjay Rebellion swept through the district like wildfire, Romula Snow began mobilizing her forces.

The lack of resistance in District 8 helped the rebels take it over in just over a day, and soon the Mockingjay flag flew from the top of the Justice Building just as it did in District 3 and District 12. Forces were mobilized, and troops from both District 3 and District 13 helped occupy the area to ensure it was safe and secure. As Korra and her company returned to District 13, she found herself sharing a hovercraft with Clove, who had her hands together in her lap, and her head down.

"You seem rather grim considering our victory…" she commented, "did… did any of your soldiers die?"  
"Miraculously, no," Clove shook her head, "though casualties on both end seemed minimal to me as well during that battle. That's not what's bugging me."  
"What is?" Korra tilted her head. "I'm obviously no therapist like Akiyo, but you can tell me what's on your mind."

"It seemed too easy," Clove warned, "It was almost like Romula let us have that district without any fight. Sure it's the most rebellious district apart from '12, but it was almost like Romula deliberately trimmed her army here to give us the delusion of strength."  
"What would you have us do then?" Korra asked, "Just because I'm the leader of this rebellion doesn't mean I should be the only one making decisions around here. I need the help of all of you much more than you need me."

"You know I'm a paranoid little piece of work," Clove laughed, "but honestly, what I would do is I would keep a close eye on the west as we move that way. Keep aerial patrols to ensure the safety of the districts, and to watch for Capitol forces. It's a lot easier to stop trains and foot soldiers from storming the district than it is to stop planes and hovercrafts."

Clove shut her eyes for the rest of the trip, and while Korra did the same, Clove's words got her thinking. What if Clove was right? What if this was a ruse? She didn't want to take any chances if it meant putting her people at risk.

Fortunately for Korra, she was not the only one that felt this victory was too easily obtained. With this recent revelation and suspicion, she wondered if even District 3 or District 12 were safe, before realizing that nowhere was safe as long as this war raged on. Romula would need to be stopped, but Korra could not just forget the victories they had secured and leave them unprotected and at risk. They would have to proceed with caution over the next few days, both in choosing their next target, and in defending the ones they had already won.


	27. Chapter 27: Planning the Reconaissance

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And after a staggering 172-day hiatus, I finally come out with chapter 27 of this long-dormant fic. I apologize for the delays, but whatever the case, there's no point in me crying over it. Anyways, there's a lot of setting up to do before our rebellion can take District 11. It's heavily guarded and has some of the toughest and strictest Peacekeepers in Panem, and so it is vital that they take this district so the Capitol can't use it as a base for military forces against District 13, and so the rebellion can use its resources for the greater good as they move westward to free the other districts. There are a lot of OCs of course, but we also get to see more Clove, and a bit more of her sister Chive after quite a long time of not seeing her._  
 _Happy Reading!_

 **CHAPTER 27: Planning the Reconaissance**

The Mockingjay Rebellion was cautious as they evaluated their situation. For Korra, this meant another trip to the conference room where she, Clove, Akiyo, Fox, Cressida, Roy, Zelda, Kara, a few other victors, and a couple of men that Korra had never seen before were all congregated in the room to plan their next move and attack. Korra was not overly fond of this room but she understood its importance, both to her efforts as well as to the efforts of the rebellion as a whole.

Fox started off the meeting by introducing the two men that stood on either side of them.

"Obviously I'm not running the establishment in District 13 all by myself," she began, "and so I feel like it's my obligation to introduce you to my two closest agents. This is Drazen, my head of political operations here in '13;" she paused, pointing to the taller man on her right, "And this is Milan, my local political agent to help things keep running smoothly here. I oversee them both, but they are the ones joining me today."  
"Out of curiosity," Clove's hand was the one to shoot up, "Is there a military leader somewhere in the mix, or is that you?"  
"It is me, but it isn't me," Fox explained, "Iona, be a darling and come forward, will you?"  
From the shadows, a small woman stepped forward, her hands together in front of her. With the clothes she wore and the way she did her hair, she had a sharp, formalistic look to her that practically oozed professionalism.

"And this is Iona," she introduced the young woman, "a right brilliant little bugger, and part of the reason these old bones have been able to operate as effectively as I have been able to. As fun as it would be to gloat about how I'm running the place singlehandedly… it's not nearly so glamourous."

"Anyways," Fox continued, "we're still in a fragile situation here, and so for our next move, whatever it may be, we need to ensure that we are united in the objective, and that more importantly, we know how we're going to achieve our goals. District 4 is in chaos, and while we have control over Districts 8, 3, and 12, we still have to face the onslaught of loyal districts like District 5, District 2, and District 1 if we're going to be able to breach the Capitol and topple Romula's regime. District 11, as surely most of you know, is our most likely target." She stepped aside to let Milan and Drazen speak.

"District 11 is a major source of food for the Capitol," Drazen began, "As many of you know. Obviously, they're going to keep a vicegrip on it, and so this is going to be a battle that takes many casualties. Needless to say we want those numbers to be as small as possible for District 14, but even with a formidable rebel force there, we'll be facing a far mightier section of Capitol strength than we faced in Districts 8 or 3."  
"That's where we need your input," Milan interjected, "District 11 needs to be our next target, but we want to make sure that we are all on board for this movement. It will undoubtedly be the fiercest battle we've fought up to this point, and likely will remain such until we reach other vital districts like District 5 and District 2.

"I'm all for knocking out District 11," Clove was the first to speak.

"I fully support this notion." Korra chimed in so swiftly that had she done it a moment sooner she would have cut Clove straight off. "As many of you likely know, my concern also rests with District 4, but there is no way for us to reach them while the Capitol still has such a powerful hold on so many districts. We've made amazing progress thus far, and I'd hate to see it come crashing down. If we lose this war, there's no telling when the next one will be, and I doubt that District 13 would even be shown any mercy. At best, it would be mutually assured destruction where this whole vicious cycle is put to an end once and for all with no survivors, or it ends in the Capitol demolishing any chance at hope or rebellion that we might have clung to."

"Then it seems we have no choice even if we were to oppose it," Roy agreed, "so let's get some folks in from District 11 to see what we're up against."  
The rebellion wasted no time in beginning to mobilize their forces to prepare to move out from District 11. Korra and Fox brought Amari and Josiah to the helm of the operations, since they were among the most knowledgeable citizens among them about District 11 life and what to watch out for. There may have been several people older than them, but most of them were victors, who often times didn't bother leaving the Victor Village. Even Sagittaria, the famed and well-travelled storyteller, was not overly familiar with the intricacies of District 11's lifestyle the way the mayor's two children were.

"They have extremely high walls in District 11," Josiah warned, "it's not like '12 where the fences are off now and again. There are towering steel walls, with watchtowers and guards in many different places. Unlike District 3, we don't have a tech-savvy populace that can help us sabotage it; and unlike District 8, we don't have the full support of the district just yet. Many of us would rather the status quo be maintained so we don't get shot."

"So it's run by fear then," Korra frowned.

"Pretty much," Amari nodded, "basically we've got a pretty powerful contingent of Capitol militia in there. Trying to stage an aerial raid on the district would be very difficult. You'll basically have to go and blitzkrieg it if you want a chance."  
"Even then though," Korra noted, "we'd still need to find a way to warn as many citizens and civilians as possible to keep them out of the crossfire. There's no doubt this will be violent."

"So we need a few infiltrators, huh?" Amari raised an eyebrow. "I'd volunteer if we had the resources, but I admittedly don't know the first thing about breaking in."  
"We blend in," Josiah noted, "but I imagine that all of our faces are all over wanted posters and television, thanks to the Capitol's efforts to track us down. They want us to remain fugitives, and they know they can't touch us here in '13. Once we're back on Panemian territory, however, we're fair game. We need someone they don't recognize."  
"So essentially," Amari added, "We need to pluck someone from District 12, 8, 3, or 13. I'm sure any of us tributes from the 'games would be happy to volunteer, but I'm pretty sure our faces are plastered all over the Capitol right now and that every Peacekeeper from '4 to '11 knows of us."

"We'll go." A voice from behind them spoke up. A man and an adolescent woman stood behind them, the man's complexion resembling the mess brown tones of District 12, while the girl was even darker and looked more like someone out of District 11.

"Zayan Kjelle, at your service," the man offered his hand, "and this is my daughter Layla."

"A pleasure," Korra shook their hands, "although… I admit that I am not well-acquainted with either of you. Where are you from?"  
Layla did not respond, but cocked her head towards President Fox. Korra turned to see if the president recognized these two individuals. She did, and a smile crept up onto her face as she saw them volunteering to infiltrate District 11.

"Despite their looks, these two are some solid District 13 stock," Fox smiled, "it's a risky endeavor though, Zayan. One or both of you might get killed."  
"That's war," Zayan nodded, "While I would hate to lose Layla the way I lost my wife, I understand that sometimes a sacrifice or two is necessary if it means freedom from the tyrannical Snow regime."

"As long as you know what you're getting into," Fox recommended, "Otherwise, we might as well start preparing the two of you to move."

"We'll keep in touch." Zayan smiled at Fox and then at Korra. Layla nodded as well, and Korra couldn't help but wonder if the girl was mute like Lux, or simply did not speak unless she had something to say. She had not opened her mouth a single time, also similar to how Lux behaved. She hoped things would work out. Layla looked younger than she was, and Korra would hate to see her die, or for her to lose her father—especially since she had already apparently lost her mother.

It was later in the evening that they had the plan all sorted out. Clove was present, as was her sister Chive, and a few of Clove's soldiers.

"So here's the plan," Clove explained to Korra, "my sister and some of my soldiers are going to pose as Peacekeepers. She knows all of their protocols, and my soldiers are disciplined warriors all the same. We'll see if we can get documents that indicate a shift change, do a little forgery, and smuggle Zayan and Layla in that way. After we get to the Peacekeeper barracks, we'll have to find a way out and leave the two of them behind while they do their reconnaissance. As soon as they get results back to us, we can make our move."

"Then we need to make sure it works," Korra declared, "any mistakes in this effort could jeopardize the entire thing, and we can't have that."

"That's why we're sending the best of the best." Clove smirked, "we don't make mistakes."

Korra believed Clove, but even then, could not help but realize that time would tell whether or not they were successful in getting the Kjelle family into District 11 to begin…


End file.
